The Forgotten Heart's Magic
by TheFallenHer0
Summary: Wizardess Heart: Elyon Warvant is a young and aspiring beast tamer. She yearns to emerge from her mother's shadow and improve her own... erm, magical struggles. Elyon sees her acceptance letter as the start of the road to her dream, but what will happen when she must face school work, fairies, monsters, and... a ghost from the past?
1. The Letter

The young black-haired boy silently stared at the flower. He tried to not think about his predicament and instead dove into a memory.

 _A young girl with long, black hair was playing with a girl with short white hair. They sang and danced, laughed and joked, and collapsed onto soft grass._

 _"June! My mother's making a meat pie! You should come over and eat with us!" said the girl with frost colored hair._

 _"Are you sure it's alright?" replied the other, her different colored eyes glittering with concern._

 _"Of course, silly! Mom and I love having you over! It's not the same without you. And besides, you love meat pie, right?"_

 _June laughed and gave in. The two fell into a comfortable silence, holding hands and watching the clouds pass overhead. After some time, June looked over at the other._

 _"Hey, Ellie-"_

"-I love you." the boy whispered.

* * *

Elyon Warvant was trembling with excitement and anxiety. She clenched her acceptance letter in her hand as her train came to a stop at the Gedonlune station.

"Hey! watch it! You're suffocating me here!" the letter grumbled.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I guess I'm just nervous. I'll be more careful, I promise." she said as she quickly released it.

Elyon stared out the window. She had wanted to be a wizardess, like her mother before her, although, not quite the same type. She began daydreaming about a future as a beast tamer, an idea her mother had constantly teased her for.

 _"Oh, my sweet snowflake, don't you want a more adventurous career? Don't you want to travel, or explore? Invent or create? Why pick something so... boring?"_

Elyon chuckled as she remembered her mother's complaints and jokes. In spite of her aversion, towards the idea, the woman supported her daughter's wishes, and helped her to the best of her extent. Elyon began playing with the curls of her long silver hair, when the train let out a loud whistle and she jumped. She snatched up her old bag, took a deep breath, and with her letter leading the way, she stepped off the train and into destiny.

* * *

Author's Note:

So, this is my first fan fiction, about none other than Joel Crawford! I hope you're at least interested. I would love some reviews and critiques on how I can make the story (more?) interesting. I plan to follow Joel's route to at least some degree, but I am changing the MC's own backstory.


	2. Destiny's First Step

Elyon hadn't expected her first step into "destiny" to be her falling on her face. Back home, even with her long bangs covering her vision, she had no trouble getting around. However, as she thought about it, her "home" was a small village, faraway from here, and "here" was a huge city,it was the capital! Elyon was pulled, pushed, shoved, and almost run over as she tried to keep up with the letter. After finally making it to the Academy's gate, Elyon was already exhausted.

"You are Miss Warvant, I presume?" asked a deep, and by his tone, annoyed voice.

Nearly jumping out of her skin, Elyon whipped around and came face to face with a rather broad chest.

"Y-y-yes, sir!" she stuttered as she craned her neck back.

When she finally saw his hace, she was surprised. He was rather handsome, even with his scowl. His well-kept golden hair was out of the way of his beautiful, violet eyes.

 _Why, he looks like a prince from a fairy tale!_

"You are late." The man growled as he glowered down at her.

 _Eep! Definitely not a fairy tale prince!_

"I-I'm terribly sorry! I-I had s-some trouble getting h-here, sir. I-it won't happen again, s-sir." Elyon managed to get out.

"My name Is Klaus Goldstein. I'm one of the prefects here."

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Elyon Warvant, and I hope we can get along." she nearly sighed with relief when he seemed to nod with pleasure at her introduction.

"Follow me to the headmaster's office. Try to keep a good pace." Klaus told her as he started walking in another direction, with Elyon scrambling to keep up with his large quick steps.

In no time at all, they were in a large, well-decorated room. As Elyon nervously stood, two more men stepped from a door in the back. The white haired, younger man was smiling kindly at her. The taller one stroked his short beard as he watched her.

After some time, she couldn't take the silence any longer.

"H-hello, sir. I am Elyon Warvant. I, um, received an acceptance letter... uhm..." she trailed off.

After a few more minutes, the younger man chuckled.

"Now, Randolph, haven't you worried her enough?"

The taller man's stern expression cracked into a huge grin as he loudly laughed.

"My apologies, Elyon, I tend to tease my students, sometimes a bit too much. I am Headmaster Randolph, and this is Professor Murkulova."

"It is a pleasure to meet you both." Elyon said politely as she bowed her head at each of the men.

"Now, for the next thirteen days, you will be evaluated. On the thirteenth day, you will be judged with the Scale of Judgment. If you work hard, the scales will tip in your favor and you will be admitted as a student at Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy." The Head master told her.

"Do you mean I'm not a student yet?" Elyon asked, furrowing her brow, not that anyone could see it through her bangs.

"That's right. At the moment, you're just a provisional student."

"Ah." was all she said.

"Randolph, aren't you forgetting something?" Merkulova prompted, softly.

"Ah, that's right! Thank you, Loran. Now," the headmaster said, looking back at Elyon, "here at the Academy, we have something called a buddy system."

"A buddy system, sir?" Elyon asked, feeling a bit lost. She had never heard about this from her mother.

"Yes, a buddy system. This system binds two students together. This is done through grades, behavior, and so on. When one buddy does well, so does the other, but if one does something wrong, they share the consequences, as well."

"O-oh, that's a bit of pressure, sir." Elyon said, nervously.

The headmaster simply laughed and waved his hand as he told her, "No need to worry, Elyon, some students graduate without ever getting a buddy. Right now, you should just focus on becoming an official student here."

"Yes, sir!" the young girl chirped.

"Now I'm sure you're tired. If you ever have any questions, the prefects, professors, and, of course, myself are at your service."

"Thank you, sir." Elyon said, bowing her head one last time.

* * *

 _What do I do now?_

Elyon stood alone in the courtyard. Klaus was supposed to have escorted her to the girls' dorm, but he had been pulled away on some business with a "Randy March."

Sighing, she sat down on a bench. She really was tired, both emotionally and physically. All she wanted to do right then was curl up and sleep.

With another heavy sigh, Elyon looked up at the sky. She started to drift off into a daydream, when she felt someone's eyes and heard feet approaching. Lowering her gaze, she felt a bit surprised at what, or rather, who she saw.

* * *

 **At that moment...**

Joel Crawford was on his way back from his dorm, when he was nearly knocked down by some blur of a person. All he could tell was that they were very angry at someone. He couldn't help but pity whoever that rage was directed at. When he looked up, his heart nearly stopped.

There she was. Sitting in the light of the setting sun, the angle making her practically glow, like some angel. Sure her hair was longer - _a lot longer_ \- and her bangs covered her eyes, but he'd know her anywhere. He'd know Ellie, _his_ Ellie, anywhere, in any shape, age, size, and form.

Before he could think better of it, his feet carried him towards her.


	3. The Meeting

When Elyon lowered her gaze, she certainly hadn't expected to see a boy with different colored eyes, one gold, one blue.

 _He has heterochromia. It looks lovely, but I wonder if that would sound strange._

She just quietly sat there, looking up at his eyes, while the boy stood in front of her trying to see hers. Finally after some time, the boy took a deep breath.

"Are you new here, or something?" he said, his face expressionless.

Elyon smiled softly, unaware of the twitch in the boy's finger.

"Yes, I'm Elyon Warvant, and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." she said, still looking up at him.

Instead of replying, the boy asked, "Are you lost? It's getting dark, and there's a curfew."

"Oh, is there? I didn't know!" she said, her eyes widening, not that the boy could really tell.

"Follow me." was all he said, as he turned around and walked in another direction.

 _That's not the first time today. I hope this doesn't become a habit. I really ought to find a map._

* * *

They hadn't been walking for too long, when they came upon a large, simply designed building. The walk there had been quiet, but not uncomfortable. In fact, to Elyon, it was rather soothing, which was strange, considering how she had only just met the nameless boy.

"We're here."

"Ah, indeed we are." she said, as she turned to look at him.

"Tomorrow, I'll show you around school," he said, his face still expressionless, "if you'd like."

"Yes, thank you. That would be lovely." she responded, smiling softly again.

"Well, goodnight, Ellie. See you tomorrow." he threw over his shoulder, as he walked towards, what Elyon could only assume, was the boys' dorm.

 _I wonder why he called me "Ellie"? I never said that was my nickname..._

Shaking her head, she walked inside.

"Hello? I'm terribly sorry that I'm late." she said, cautiously.

"I should hope so! You had me worried sick, you did!" said an old woman with short grey hair, and sharp brown eyes. "Though it can be helped, I s'pose. Your room is up on the third floor, seventh door to the right. Your roommate should still be getting ready for bed, but be quiet, just in case."

"Yes, ma'am, I truly am sorry that I've worried you and I'll be more careful. Goodnight, ma'am." Elyon bowed her head before heading towards her room.

Just as the house mother had said, Elyon's roommate was awake. She cautiously opened the door and introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm Elyon Warvant, your new roommate, and I'm truly sorry about being so late."

The other girl, who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, smiled, her long, bright orange hair bouncing.

"Aw, Elyon, don't worry about it! I was a bit worried, but the important thing is that you're here now, safe and sound." the girl's warm, brown eyes twinkled, "My name is Amelia Nile, and I hope you and I will get along."

Elyon smiled at her new roommate. Amelia seemed kind and laid back, so she thought that they could not only get along, but also become friends.

"Would you like some help unpacking?"

"Yes, thank you."

The girls quickly put away Elyon's things. Afterwards, they sat on their beds facing each other.

"So, do you want me to show you around tomorrow? I have the day off." Amelia asked, as she tied her hair into two tight braids.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I have my first class in the morning, and someone already offered to show me around." Elyon apologized.

"Really, isn't it your first day here? Never mind that, who is it?"

"I, um, didn't get his, uh, his name, actually..." she faltered.

"Don't worry! If you describe him, I might be able to help." Amelia told her, reassuringly.

"Well, he had black hair, one blue eye, one gold eye, not much expression, and a smooth voice. He was, um, quite attractive."

"Ah!" Amelia exclaimed, "You must mean Joel Crawford! He's a spellsinger and he's kind of known for being a bit, erm, blunt. I'm kind of surprised that he was so willing to help you."

"Hm... I wonder why he did then..."

"Love at first sight, maybe?" Amelia mischievously asked.

"N-no way!" Elyon squealed back, "I'm not what you would call gorgeous."

"I disagree."

"Huh?"

"You're already pretty, even with half your face hidden, and you give off a warm, soothing aura. If you pulled your bangs back, you might even be... _irresistable_." Amelia slyly grinned, practically purring the last word.

"A-Amelia!" squeaked the now red-faced, snow-haired girl.

They went back and forth for a while, before finally going to bed. After meeting Joel and Amelia, Elyon was feeling more optimistic about her thirteen day trial.

* * *

 **Earlier...**

Joel slammed his forehead against his closed dorm room door. Thankfully, he didn't have a roommate, so he was free to beat himself up over his earlier behavior.

"I couldn't say _anything!_ She was right there, and I couldn't find anything worthwhile to say. _Damn_ , she must think I'm a total _creep_!"

He thought back to her long, silvery white hair, her soft voice, the relaxing aura she gave off. The little girl he had once known seemed to have grown into a beautiful young lady, formal manners included.

 _Now that I think about it, her mannerisms were a little strange. She definitely wasn't like that when we were just kids. I wonder what happened._

He suddenly flashed back to her soft smile, and his heart skipped a beat. How could she smile at a stranger so sweetly? After all, that's what he was to her now. A stranger. And yet, the walk to the dorms was a comfortable quiet, and it seemed almost like she had _enjoyed_ his company. But that wasn't possible... right?


	4. The First Day

_Two giggling girls were climbing a large tree. The one with short, white hair was sitting on a branch, beckoning the other girl, this one with long, black hair._

 _"Come on, ..U..n..! The view's amazing!" the white-haired girl called down._

 _"I'm coming, Ellie!" the other shouted back._

 _Ellie nodded, before moving off the branch and climbing further up. The pair went up further, when suddenly, the branch Ellie had just grabbed onto snapped. With no time to catch herself, Ellie fell. She was too surprised to scream._

 _But the other girl wasn't._

 _"ELYON!" she screamed, then let go herself, reaching for her._

 _Ellie was shocked. There was her friend, her closest and dearest. Falling. Her long, black hair flaring behind her. Ellie reached her hand up, and the two pulled each other close. They fell to the ground far below, hitting branches as they went._

 _Finally, they landed with a loud WHUMP. They're bones weren't broken, thanks to the branches, but they were covered in scratches and scrapes and, the air had been knocked out of them. After some time, and when they could breath again, Ellie turned to her friend._

 _"W-why'd you let go?"_

 _Her friend faced her, and after taking a breath, told her, "If I hadn't you could have been hurt much worse. Ellie, I'll always protect you. I promise."_

* * *

 _ **"I promise."**_

Elyon slowly opened her eyes, trying to process where she was.

 _This is definitely not my room..._

She turned her head, and saw light streaming in from a window. Suddenly, a girl's bright, smiling face overtook her vision.

"Morning, Sleepyhead. You need to get ready if you want to get to the Dining Hall in time for breakfast." Amelia said, in a soothing tone.

"Ah, that's right... I'm at the academy..." Elyon mumbled, slowly pulling herself up.

Amelia giggled as she got ready, and in almost no time at all, they were out the door. They walked to another building, filled with long tables and many, many students. Suddenly feeling nervous, she pressed herself against her roommate. Amelia chuckled and led her to a small group of people who all looked to be around Amelia's age. They saw her and smiled.

"Hey, Amelia!" called out a blonde-haired girl.

The pair sat down, Elyon still smushed up against Amelia.

"Aw, who's your friend?" asked a boy with deep, violet hair, "She's adorable!"

"Leave the poor girl alone, Zack." growled a tall girl with large glasses, "You're probably creeping her out."

Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself away from Amelia and introduced herself.

"H-hello, I'm Elyon Warvant. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You're quite formal," the other boy, with warm, brown eyes, smiled, "I'm Terrance Deckards."

The blonde gave a cheesy grin, her twin ponytails bobbing, as she said, "I'm Vivian Halivont."

"Harriet Ysman." muttered the tall girl.

"And I'm Zack Thompson, but you can call me baby." said the violet-haired boy with a wink.

The rest of the group sighed, and Terrance swatted the back of his head. Feeling more relaxed, Elyon listened to their conversation, offering her input from time to time, until the bell rang. About half the students were getting up, including Elyon, Harriet, and Terrance.

 _They must have morning classes, too. Oh, but Amelia's still sitting..._

As if she knew what the snow-haired girl was thinking, Amelia explained that she had the day off.

"B-but you got up with me?" Elyon asked, starting to feel touched.

"Well, maybe that, too," Zack said, before Amelia had a chance, "but she also knows when the lines are shorter, so it also has to do with the food. She's pretty fond of it, _if you know what I mean._ "

At this, both Amelia and Vivian swatted his head, while Elyon and Terrance laughed and Harriet rolled her eyes.

"Oh, shut up! I'm not that bad!"

Then, the trio said their goodbyes and headed to class. When they got to the building, Terrance went the opposite direction, while Harriet walked Elyon to her homeroom. She had thanked the tall girl, but Harriet just shrugged and left for her own class. Trying to calm herself down, Elyon closed her eyes and pushed herself into the room.

* * *

 **Earlier...**

Joel had been on his way to the Dining Hall, when he spotted Elyon walking with an older girl with bright, orange hair. He subconsciously slowed his pace and his eyes began to follow her.

 _I guess it's a good thing that I didn't wait for her at her dorm. Ellie only met me yesterday._

Though the idea made him sad, it was the truth. By now, Joel had gotten so consumed in his thoughts, he didn't notice the other boy until it was too late.

"Hey, Joel." grinned a taller, green-haired boy, slinging his arm around his shoulder.

Joel didn't bother responding and tried to continue walking, but the boy followed.

"What do you want, Luca?" he sighed.

"Nothing really." Luca said, with a shrug, "Just curious about that girl. She's new right?"

Joel stiffened.

"Yeah, you seem interested in her, too. Don't blame you. She seems cute."

Joel shoved off Luca's arm and trudged off into the Dining Hall.

Luca smiled before following.

* * *

 **Now...**

Elyon awkwardly stood by the door, unsure of what to do. Students were clumped in groups, talking and laughing. She scanned the room until she saw a blue-haired boy sitting and staring out the window. After checking that the area around him was clear, oddly so, she walked over.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Excuse me?"

Still no answer.

"Excuse me!" she said, starting to feel frustrated.

"Hm?" the boy finally responded. As he turned to face her, Elyon saw that he had an eye-patch over one of his eyes.

 _He's quite handsome. Though, he doesn't seem to be all there..._

"I'm sorry to bother. My name is Elyon Warvant, and I'm a new student. I was wondering if I could take the seat in front of you."

"Okay." he said, before turning back to the window.

She didn't worry too much about his lack of interest, and sat down to get her things ready for class. As she opened her bag, she heard the boy mumble something.

"Pardon me, but did you say something?"

"My name." he said, now facing her, "I'm Yukiya Reizen."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yukiya." she smiled.

His face softened and he turned to look out the window. Elyon, feeling better, turned back to her bag. She pulled out a notebook, some pens, pencils, and an eraser. As she looked back up, she saw that her favorite pen had vanished. Feeling confused, she searched her desk, and looked at the floor, before she heard a chuckle. Surprised, she quickly looked. Before her stood a smirking boy with green hair past his ears, and in his right hand sat her pen.

"Excuse me, but you seem to have my pen." she pointed out, feeling a little lost.

"So it seems." was all he said.

"May I please have it back?"

"Since you asked so politely, sure." he smiled and gave it back, before saying, "So, might I ask this cute girl's name?"

Blushing slightly at his flirting, she introduced herself saying, "Of course! My name is Elyon Warvant. Might I ask your name in return."

"Aw, you're so cute." he said, "I'm Luca Orlem."

Elyon giggled shyly, Luca opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by someone else.

"Luca, I hope you're not harrassing the new student." scolded a handsome, violet-eyed, golden-haired boy.

 _He looks familiar... Handsome... Violet eyes... Golden hair... Annoyed... just like... Guh! K-Klaus! No, no, wait. He's younger, shorter, and not as intimidating. Not Klaus, but maybe still a Goldstein?_

The Klaus-look-a-like turned towards her. Seeing her expression, he sighed and said.

"I'm not Klaus."

"Oh, no! I know that."

"I'm- wait what?"

"I knew you weren't Klaus. You seem, um, easier to approach."

Definitely-not-Klaus blushed.

"I'm Elyon Warvant. It's a pleasure to meet you." she told him with a smile.

"I'm Elias Goldstein, and the pleasure's all mine." he smiled, "If you ever need help with the lessons, let me know."

Luca, who seemed to be lost in thought for a while, spoke up."

"Hey, Elyon. About your last name-"

Suddenly, an older man dressed in all black came in. He wore a scowl on his face, and all the students scurried to their seats and sat quietly, Luca had taken the empty seat next to her, and Elias was directly across. The man scanned across the room and seemed to pause for a fraction on Elyon before moving on. Finally, he spoke.

"I understand that we have a new student. I am Professor Schuyler."

Standing up and bowing, Elyon introduced herself yet again.

"Hello, sir. I am Elyon Warvant."

"Warvant, you say. Are you, by any chance, related to Evelyn Warvant?" the Professor asked, seemingly agitated.

 _Oh, I knew this was coming._

"Yes, sir. She was my mother."

At this, whispers broke out. She knew why. Her mother, Evelyn Warvant, had gone to the same Academy, some years before. She had been known for causing mischief around the school and pranking her peers and professors. But, she started spending more and more time in the forest. When she was only eighteen or nineteen years old, she ran away from the Academy, and never finished her schooling. It had been a great mystery around the school, and no one could figure out just why she did it. No one, but Elyon that is.

Professor Schuyler silenced the whispering, and pulled Elyon back into the present.

"Well, I hope you're better behaved than your mother was. We already have Luca." he said, turning his attention to Luca, "Speaking of which, I'm surprised to see that you're here today."

"Well Prof, I gotta show up _sometimes_."

Sighing in response, Professor Schuyler started the lesson. Elyon took notes and was able to answer a couple questions correctly. She thought things were going well, until she was asked to perform a spell. It was a simple spell, meant to make her book float, but that isn't quite what happened...

"GIHEEHEE" the book cackled, flapping around the room.

It crashed into desks, swooped down at students, generally made a mess of the room. The Professor was able to break the spell, but he was _furious_.

"It's a spell to make things _levitate_ , and you brought it to _life_."

Somehow, his quiet rage was far scarier than yelling.

"I-I know, s-sir."

"Can you explain what _happened_?"

"I-I have trouble w-when I use m-magic on things b-besides an-animals, sir."

"And _with_ animals?"

"I-I'm good at h-healing animals, and I c-can understand them, sir."

"But you can't use normal magic." he sighed, before saying, "The bell is about to ring. Stay behind and clean things up."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

 **Not long after...**

The bell had just rung for the end of class, so Joel immediately made his way towards the Fortitudo Class' hall. On his way over he overheard some students.

"Poor girl, it's just her first day."

"I know, right? To mess up like that must be so embarrassing."

"Yeah, but is she really Evelyn Warvant's daughter? I mean, wasn't she supposed to be a powerful wizardess?"

"Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with her disappearance."

Annoyed for Elyon, Joel stopped and faced the students.

"Like you said, it's her first day, right? Are you really going to try to tell me you weren't nervous on _your_ first day? That you didn't slip up _once_?"

"G-guh..."

"Uh, huh. Which classroom was she in?"

One of the students pointed to a door a little ways away. Joel walked towards it, feeling a little worried about her.

 _She never was could at handling things when she messed up. I hope she's not beating herself up too harshly._

Picking up his pace, Joel opened the door. There, shoulders slumped dejectedly, crouched Elyon. She was picking up papers scattered about the floor. Without a word, Joel crouched next to her and began helping.

"Hello, Joel."

Surprised, he lifted his head.

"How-"

"You didn't tell me your name yesterday, so I asked my roommate about you."

"Oh..." he couldn't help but say, disappointedly.

 _For a second there, I thought-_

"I messed up in class."

Looking at her, she looked ashamed. Without thinking, he started to pet her hair. He was about to pull back, when she pushed her head against his hand.

Embarrassed, he scolded her, " You shouldn't do that to a stranger."

"O-oh!" she squeaked, her cheeks turning red, " I'm sorry! I just feel comfortable around you, so I... Sorry!"

"Don't worry about," he said, trying calm her down, "it's no big deal."

"Really?"

" _I promise._ "

Suddenly, a bright light flashed through the room, and both students shut there eyes against the strength of it.

* * *

Elyon had to blink a couple of times before she could see. As she went to check on Joel, she saw his uniform's emblem glowing faintly. Surprised, she looked up at his face, but his eyes were glued to _her_ emblem. She found that it, too, was glowing. Confused and worried, she looked back at him.

"Joel? What-"

"We lit up."

"I beg your pardon?"

Sighing, he looked her in the eyes.

"Elyon, we just became Buddies."


	5. Little Blue Bug

Joel was silent as he helped Elyon pick up the room. Unable to tell what he was thinking, she remained quiet and so did he. When they were done, Joel helped her up. Then he turned and walked out. Unsure as to whether or not he still wanted to show her around, she followed him. He still didn't talk, so neither did she. Eventually, she was led to a courtyard. There, Joel finally stopped walking and faced her.

"Where do you want to see first?" he asked.

 _Oh, good. I don't think he's angry with me._

"May we go to the go to the greenhouse?"

He nodded, then led her down another path. When he stopped, sh saw a large, glass dome. The exterior already had her enchanted, so her excitement for what laid inside pushed her through the door Joel was holding open. She gasped in awe of the bright colors and wild shapes. She was so entranced by what she saw, she didn't notice her new buddy's gaze. Or his small, soft smile.

After some time, he asked where she wanted to go next.

"It'd be helpful to know where the library is." she said.

The pair walked down a different path. When they found and entered the library, Elyon's eyes widened with wonder. Books were flying around and talking, not at all like her screeching book-bullet she created earlier that day. They couldn't stay long, for a partcularly loud and nasally-voiced book scolded them for standing around. When they were out of its sight, Elyon chuckled about being scolded by a book, and Joel smiled. However, this time she noticed, but she said nothing.

Next, she asked to see the auditorium.

They walked to the middle of the campus. As they entered through some large doors, Elyon gaped at the interior. The hall was _massive_ , and yet the outside made it seem so much smaller. Seeing her confusion, Joel explained that it was a powerful spell. Then, she saw a large, elaborate scale. As she walked over, she realized it was the Scale of Judgement. She smiled back at Joel.

"Isn't it amazing?" she asked.

"Huh?" he tilted his head.

"I mean, this scale magically measures our capabilities and determines whether this is the best path for us. It truly is a wondrous device."

"When you say it like that, I guess it is pretty neat."

After that they returned to the courtyard. During the time that they'd left, it seemed some more classes had ended, and students filled the area.

"Follow me." Joel said, then abruptly turned to another direction.

She quickly followed him down a path. When they were a good distance from the school, he led her off the stone path to one formed by flat, well-trodden grass. As they walked down, there seemed to be more, and more nature. There were more trees, animals, and other plants.

 _This reminds me of home._

After a while, they came to a clearing with a large, sparkling lake. Elyon walked to an area of grass and sat down. Joel sat down next to her.

"This really is the Gendonelune Royal Magic Academy." she said after a moment.

"Yeah." Joel nodded.

Elyon sighed then fell backwards, looking up to the sky.

"I actually got here. I mean, I got into the Academy." she said, dazedly.

Joel sighed.

"Shouldn't you be more on guard with a stranger?"

She looked back at him.

"You're not a stranger. You're Joel Crawford, my buddy."

He stared at her, incredulously. She giggled and gently pulled him down until he was lying down next to her. She smiled softly, before pointing to the clouds.

"Look, that one looks like a dragon."

Joel frowned.

"No, it looks more like a fish."

"Oh, Joel, maybe we should go to the nurse. You must have something wrong with your eyes."

They went back and laughed. Looking at his smiling eyes, she an old memory flashed through her mind.

* * *

 _A much younger Elyon was hiding in a cabinet._

 _"I'm gonna find you!" sang another girl._

 _Ellie covered her mouth the keep from giggling. She listened as the footsteps got closer. The other girl stopped in front of where Ellie was hiding._

 _"Weeellll, I guess I can't find Ellie. Maybe I should just give up!"_

 _At that, Little Ellie shot out from the cabinet and tackled her friend. The other girl squeaked and fell, her long, black hair flying up behind them._

 _"Ellie, be careful!" she scolded, her blue and gold eyes widening._

 _Ellie cackled._

 _"That's what you get-"_

* * *

"June!" Elyon shouted abruptly, making Joel jump.

 _J-June? She remembers?_

"Your eyes are like hers!" she smiled at him.

"H-huh?"

 _Oh..._

"Oh, I hope that didn't offend you, Joel. I'm not trying to say you're like a girl." she added quickly.

He just sighed and said, "That's alright."

She turned her head and looked him in the eyes. Joel wanted to look at her back. He'd wanted to since he saw her sitting in the courtyard. Without thinking, he reached out his hand and pushed it out of her eyes. A pair of light blue doe eyes stared back in surprise. Bewitched, he stopped moving and just stared.

"J-Joel?" she asked, sounding flustered with cheeks blushing.

 _Oh... OH CRAP!_

He yanked his hand back, her hair falling back down. He scrambled up and she followed. They stood in an awkward silence.

 _I'm not some creep, Ellie, I swear! Dammit! Why did I have to do that?!_

"Sorry." was all he said, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

 _I really am bad with words._

After a moment, she smiled, though a bit shyly.

"It's alright, Joel."

He just sighed, still not meeting her eyes.

* * *

They stood in silence, and Ellie began feeling restless. Then she remembered something Amelia had said.

"Joel, are you a spellsinger? I remember my roommate mentioning it."

He looked at her in surprise, then turned his gaze to his feet, with a solemn expression.

Worried she'd somehow hurt him, she tried to backtrack.

"No, it's alright. It's just..." he looked so upset, Ellie reached out and took his hand. She didn't say anything, she smiled softly.

 _You don't need to talk about it if it's hard._

"I am, or rather I was."

Elyon tilted her head.

"It's... it's gone. I can't use my magic." he confessed.

 _Joel..._

Just as she was about to say something, a shriek ripped through the air. Jumping, they whipped their heads around. Elyon looked off towards the trees and took off. Joel shouted something from behind her. He was soon on her heels. Pushing aside shrubs and bushes, she found the source.

A group of frogs were swarming what looked to be a blue bug. The frogs seemed to be trying to court her, but the bug wasn't interested. At all.

"Get _away_ from me!" she screeched.

"Marry me!"

"No, me!"

"I'll make the best husband!"

 _This wasn't what I iwas expecting._

She laughed, and Joel just looked annoyed and confused. Smiling, she walked over to the bug and the frogs. When she found that the frogs weren't going to listen to reason, she picked up the bug gently and tried to walk away.

"EEP!" Ellie was tackled by the frogs and started to fall.

Joel leaped forward, just in time to catch her. He glared at the frogs over her shoulder. The frogs quickly hopped away, shouting forlorn farewells to the bug. After regaining her balance, she addressed the bug.

"Are you alright?"

The bug, which now seemed a little more human-like, replied in a dramatic tone.

" _Thank goodness_ you were there! I didn't know what to do! I mean, they should have more respect, right? I'm a fairy for crying out loud!"

"You look more like a bug." Joel snorted.

"How dare you?! I'm obviously a fairy!"

 _I guess I shouldn't say I thought she was a bug, too._

"Well, Miss Fairy, my name is Elyon, and this is Joel."

"I'm... I'm... um... I don't know my name!" The fairy cried out.

Joel's and Ellie's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, woe was me! I don't know who I am! I don't know why I'm here! Oh, what do I do?" she wailed.

Elyon looked at Joel, and Joel shook his head. Sticking out her bottom lip, she held her hands together. He huffed and turned his head. Taking his reaction as consent, albeit reluctant, and faced the fairy.

"Don't worry, we'll help you!" Ellie chirped.

"Oh, _thank you_ , Elyon!" tears welled up in her light blue eyes.

"Bug tears." Joel muttered.

The fairy shrieked in rage and Ellie just barely held her back, with Joel just looking bored. Before things escalated any further between the two, Elyon decided it was time to head back to the dorms.

* * *

The sun was setting by the time they made it back to the girl's dorm. After bidding Joel goodbye, Ellie quickly made her way up to her dorm. Once she was sure that Amelia wasn't there, she opened her bag. Out flew a blue fairy. She went soaring around the room before flying back to her.

"Really, Elyon, thank you." she said.

"Of course we'd help you!" the girl replied, "I can only imagine how scary it is to have no memories. I'd be really upset."

The fairy nodded sadly, sitting down on Elyon's bed. Smiling reassuringly, she sat down next to her.

"Miss Fairy, what should I call you?"

"I don't know..."

Elyon thought, looking around the room. Then, a deck of tarot cards caught her eye. Spreading them in rows on her bed, she laid them with their faces down. She explained to the fairy that they would draw their cards to decide their name. The fairy quickly nodded and pointed to a card. Flipping it over, Ellie awkwardly looked away.

"WHY IS THERE A BUG CARD?!"

Elyon promised she would never call her that, and offered to draw another card. The fairy agreed.

Flipping over another, they saw a beautiful young woman, with long, brown hair and a dramatically large golden crown. She wore a warm smile and her rose eyes were warm. As she was looking up the name, the fairy was trembling in anticipation.

"Empress."

The fairy grinned.

"How beautiful! How elegant! How perfect!"

"It is lovely, though it's a bit of a mouthful," she smiled, "Perhaps we could shorten it to, hmm... Eress?"

"How sweet! How cute! How perfect!"

Elyon couldn't help but chuckle. As she checked the time, she realized it was pretty dark out. Remembering that Amelia could return anytime, she prepared a hidden bed for Eress. Opening the drawer of her bedside table, she took one of her softest undershirts and laid it out. Then, she folded up a pair of socks for a pillow. For the blanket, she took out her handkerchief. As the fairy settled herself in, Elyon promised to make her a better bed. She closed the drawer to crack, and got ready for bed. She turned out the lights as she slid under the blankets.

"Goodnight, Eress."

"Sweet dreams, Elyon!"

* * *

 **Sorry it took me so long to update this, but here we are!**

 **We've met the spunky fairy Eress, and Elyon has remembered a buried memory!**

 **Let's see what we learn next in Chapter 6!**


	6. Joel Misses His Magic

_A little Elyon sat on her mother's lap. The woman, awfully young to have a six year old daughter, silently stared at the flowers. The little girl pulled on her hand._

 _"Momma, what's wrong?" she asked._

 _"Nothing, Snowflake, just thinking about how I've seen prettier flowers."_

 _"Where? The academy?"_

 _"No, no, no. There was another place, with flowers and animals unlike anything you see here." her mother said, look off into the distance._

 _"But where?" Ellie whined._

 _"I'll tell you when you're older. Maybe we'll even be able to go together."_

 _"Oh, okay. Well, I Think these flowers are really pretty, anyways."_

 _"You're so easy to please. It just makes it easier to pull tricks on you."_

 _"Momma, you're not supposed to pull tricks on me. I'm supposed to do that to you!"_

 _"You're pretty bad at it, you know."_

 _"Momma!"_

 _Her mother chuckled and kissed her cheek. Standing up, she took her daughter inside. She thought she'd put her in bed, but once the door had closed, Ellie snuck back out. Tiptoeing to the window, she opened it. There she had a vine with small white flowers. It was a magical one, she figured, since it did something unusual.  
It glowed whenever she touched the flowers._

 _It only did that for her, and only at night. She tricked her mother into touching them one night, and nothing had happened. She carefully pulled off some of the flowers and wove them into a crown. Then, she climbed down the vine. When she touched the ground, a cat appeared from nowhere._

 _"Little Ellie is as bad as Young Evelyn, sneaking out of the house with her family unaware." she purred._

 _"Miss, please don't tell my mother!" Ellie whispered._

 _"Fine, fine. She wouldn't understand me anyway."_

 _Elyon smiled in relief before creeping on, with the cat following behind. After some time, she saw a house. With the cat's help, she found the right window. She knocked and another girl with black hair opened it._

 _"Hey, June!" she whispered._

 _"Ellie? What are y-"_

 _"I made you a crown! Look! It only works at night." she told her, putting the crown over her black hair._

 _"Oh, wow!" June gasped, watching the flowers light up from Ellie's touch._

 _Elyon was about to say something, when they heard June's mother at the door. Whispering goodbyes, June shut the window while Elyon ran with the cat. She climbed up the vine and into bed, the grey feline nuzzling up to her._

* * *

When Elyon woke up, she found an odd weight against her side. Lifting the blanket, she found a striped brown cat curled up against her.

"Hello there, may I ask why you're here?"

The cat yawned before saying, "Window was open."

She widened her eyes in surprise before checking and finding that the window was, in fact, left open.

 _I remember closing it. How odd._

She went to ask Amelia about it, but found the bed made and empty. She walked over and found a note.

"Sorry I couldn't walk you to breakfast! The housemother came in early and told me one of my professors decided that their class should be done _two hours before the sun rose_. So, if I'm not there before you wake up, Vivian and Zack should be in the Dining Hall if you don't want to sit alone or if you can't find your classmates." she read aloud.

Still unsure about the Dining Hall situation, she got ready for the day. She was about to leave, when she remembered something with a start. She rushed over to her bedside drawer to find a rather annoyed looking Eress. Bowing her head and apologizing, she carefully placed the fairy in her bag. As she walked out the door of the girls' dorm, she nearly crashed into a boy. She barely caught herself and the boy jumped in surprise.

"Whoops! Sorry about that! You alright?" he asked.

The boy had bright pink hair and his uniform was a bit messy and had additional prints and charms. He smiled boyishly at her, though he seemed to be closer to Klaus' age than her own.

"It's alright, I'm not hurt." she assured him, "Though I would like to know why you're rushing around the girls' dorm."

"Of course! I, Randy March, am an inventor. I've created a tool to locate fairies and fairy magic. For some reason, it led me here." he explained, then leaned closer, "Y'know, it seems to get stronger as it gets closer to you."

 _Uh oh! Joel told me to not let people find Eress! Oh, this isn't good!_

She stiffened, afraid that he would find the blue fairy hidden in her bag.

"Oh, well. Guess I have a few kinks to work out. Sorry about that." he said, leaning back.

She barely hid her sigh of relief, and instead said, "It's no problem. Oh, and my name is Elyon."

Randy smiled and said goodbye before running off somewhere, mumbling something about finding some taffy. Elyon shrugged her shoulders and headed towards the Hall. As she made her way inside, she looked around for Vivian or Zack. She started to feel flustered when she couldn't find them. So busy was she with looking for them, she jumped high when a hand came down on her shoulder. Whipping her head around, she came face to face with a laughing Luca.

"Geez, Elyon! I don't think I'm _that_ scary!"

"Well- I- I mean- um..." she stuttered.

As Joel walked up from behind him, Elyon felt relieved.

"Can we just sit down?" he sighed.

"Sure, sure. Come on, you two." said Luca, waving his arm lazily.

He led them over to where Yukiya and Elias were sitting. As they approached, Elias moved his bag and gestured for her to sit down. Elyon quietly thanked him, and Joel took the seat next to her. She didn't notice the quick glare they shot each other. Instead, she addressed the blue-haired boy.

"Good morning, Yukiya!" she chirped.

"Morning..." he sleepily replied.

"Wow, you got him to respond to you in the morning, Elyon! Maybe you're not so bad at magic as I thought!" Luca laughed.

At his comment, Elyon slumped her shoulders, while Joel and Elias glared at him and Yukiya's brows furrowed slightly. Luca laughed awkwardly before apologizing, and, of course, she brightly forgave him.  
As they were eating, Elyon heard loud whispering from her bag. Listening she heard Eress.

"First, you almost forgot me in the drawer, and now you're not feeding me?!"

She quickly apologized and snuck food into her bag whenever the others weren't looking. Well, Joel was an exception.

"Doesn't eat like a bug." he muttered.

Elyon had to stick her hand into the bag and cover Eress' mouth to keep her from shouting. She smiled awkwardly at the others' confused glances. She was relieved when the bell rang for them to go to class.

* * *

Joel sighed as they approached Elyon's class. He was annoyed that not only did they walk with the other three, who could get pretty loud, but they all were in the same class with her. He kept his annoyance hidden whenever she glanced at him. When they got to the classroom, Elyon smiled up at him.

"Have a nice day, Joel. I'll see you after class!" she said, cheerfully.

"Yeah, see you then."

She then turned and walked inside, followed by Elias and Yukiya. Only Luca hesitated. Rather than actually say anything, he just glanced at the girl then back to him and smirked while wiggling his eyebrows. Before Joel could react, the green-haired boy walked inside.

 _That jerk!_

Knowing he couldn't do anything else, he walked off to his own class hall, Vir Ingenious. As he walked into the classroom, a familiar girl practically leaped towards him.

"Hey Joey!" she cooed.

The girl was Summer Peters. She had long dark, purple hair and light brown eyes. She had a nice figure and she knew it, based on how she left the top few buttons on her shirt undone. She was known to pursue guys, but only for a little while. The issue was who the guys usually were. Summer never seemed to have a personal interest in them, but they were usually the crushes of girls who Summer didn't like. She'd get the guy interested in her and taunt the girls. As a result, she didn't have many female friends.  
Joel guessed that, based on her recent enthusiastic greetings, he was her next fascination. Rather than respond, he just sat down in his seat. He sighed as she followed him over.

"Oh, Joey, Joey. What's wrong? Why do you ignore me?" she asked, looking pouty.

"Because I don't like you." he bluntly answered.

She waved off his answer and continued.

"Is it cause of your new buddy? Elyon Warvant?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"How do you-" he started.

"Oh, Joey, come now. The daughter of a powerful runaway wizardess returns to the school and gets a buddy the first day, and you think no one's gonna talk about it?

He frowned at her, but before he could say anything, Vincent Knight walked in with the professor. Vincent was both a student and a part time combatants teacher. Today, it seemed he was going to be the latter.

"Alright, guys. Lets head outside for some practice!" the redhead called.

 _Oh, great. Guess it's time to fake sick._

He started hacking and asked to go to the nurse. The professor sighed an allowed it. Joel walked to the clinic, feeling down. After all, how long could he keep his secret. A wizard who's lost his magic can't stay at a school _for_ magic.

* * *

Elyon tried to comfort the girl she was walking with. She hadn't been feeling well in class and as she went to cast a spell, she ended up losing her lunch. The class had been grossed out or making snide remarks, and she was practically in tears. She, along with Elias had offered to take her to the nurse, but since she might be sent to the dorms, Professor Merriweather sent Elyon.

"Thanks, Elyon." said the short-haired brunette.

"Don't worry about it. You should just focus on getting better." she smiled back.

With that, she left the girl with the nurse. As she walked down the hall back to her class, she saw a familiar face. Walking towards him, she quietly called out.

"Joel? Are you feeling alright?"

The boy jumped and looked up. When he saw her, he seemed to relax and walked towards her.

"I'm okay."

"But you're going to the nurse. I can walk you, if you'd like?"

"No, I'm not actually sick. Remember the thing I told you yesterday? About my magic?" he asked, and continued when she nodded, "Well, I haven't told anyone besides the headmaster and Professor Schuyler, so I've been avoiding classes where I have to use magic."

"Oh, Joel, I'm so sorry."

Joel shook his head.

"I just, I mean, I don't even know how or why this happened! I don't know if it's temporary or if I won't ever use my magic again." he said, looking miserable.

Feeling heartbroken for him, she reached out. Taking her hands in his, she rubbed her thumbs over hands, like her mother had done whenever she was scared. Looking him in the eyes, she smiled gently.

"I promise you, Joel, we'll get you your magic back."

He looked at her in surprise, then smiled softly. As his eyes went down, though, his cheeks turned red.

"Y-you can let go, now." he said.

"O-oh! I'm sorry!" she squeaked, her cheeks blushing.

She pulled her hands away and folded them, while Joel let his drop to his side. After a moment, she spoke up.

"W-well, I've got to get back to class."

"Y-yeah."

As she walked away, she suddenly stopped. Turning back, she called back to him.

"Can we meet up after class?"

Confused, he said, "Sure, but why?"

Giving him a cheerful grin, she told him.

"Well, because that's when we'll begin our investigation!"


	7. The Hallway

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Elyon smiled.

"Later!" called Luca.

"See you then." Elias added.

Yukiya gave a sleepy nod. Grabbing her bag, the girl walked out of the classroom. Joel was just walking up as she stepped through the door. She gave him a warm smile as she walked up.

"I sense a grouchy jerk nearby." growled Eress.

"I hear the buzzing of a bug." muttered Joel.

"Please, calm down you two." Elyon requested with a sigh.

The two reluctantly agreed. Together, they walked to the courtyard, only to find it quite alive with students. Once again, Joel led her away to the same spot as the previous day. After they were sure they were alone, Elyon began her investigation as Eress flew out of her bag.

"Joel, do you remember when you lost your magic?" she asked with a gentle tone.

"Not long before you got here."

"Did you do or see something out of the ordinary?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Um, okay."

 _This isn't the best start..._

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Eress let out a heavy sigh.

"Geez, couldn't you remember _something_?" she grumbled, "Elyon's trying to help you out of the kindness of her heart!"

"Let's see you remember anything." Joel grumbled back.

Eress gasped, looking genuinely shocked.

"How dare you?!" she shrieked.

"What? You can't get mad at me for not remembering, but then not know anything about yourself."

"You- You- GAH!"

With another shriek of rage, Elyon felt the wind picking up. Confused she looked around. Out in the distance, no trees were reacting to the sudden gust of wind, which was getting stronger by the minute. Turning back around, she saw the boy and the fairy facing each other. Eress looked angry, with her tiny body bright red, and Joel looked annoyed. Elyon tried to call out, but the wind had gotten a lot louder and the two were still bickering back and forth. The seemed oblivious to the powerful wind, which was causing the trees around them to start to bend. It swirled around them, almost like a tornado.

"Y-you two! Pay attention!" she called out, but to no avail.

Suddenly, the wind knocked Elyon off her feet. She didn't fall, but instead, the wind lifted her up, higher and higher. She screamed, and finally the two snapped back to reality. However, at that moment, the wind abruptly stopped. Elyon screamed again, only this time she was falling.

"Ellie!"

"Elyon!"

Just as the girl thought she would hit the ground, she landed on something soft and warm. After recovering her breath, she looked up to find Joel's worried face.

"Are you okay?!" he asked, sounding worried.

"Y-yes. I-I'm f-fine. Just a s-scare." she replied.

"I'm so sorry!" Eress cried out, "I let my powers get out of control!"

"I'm not injured, so don't worry." she reassured her.

"Oh, _thank goodness_!" the fairy sighed, then looked annoyed again, "If she's okay, you can let her down."

"O-oh!" gasped Elyon, realizing she was being held bridal style by Joel.

His face had returned to its regular expression by the time he'd set her down. Elyon straightened out her skirt with slightly blushed cheeks. Looking up, she faced her two companions.

"Eress, Joel, I will not ask you the two of you to become friends, but I must request that you at least try to get along." she said, her voice growing serious, "We all need help, and our goals cannot be accomplished if we spend our time bickering."

"Okay," growled Eress.

"Fine," Joel nodded, "but I wasn't trying to argue."

"Then what was all that?!" the fairy shouted out.

"I was just saying what was on my mind."

At his reasoning, Eress stared at him in shock, mouth agape. Elyon remembered Amelia mentioning him being blunt, but she had no idea he was _that_ bad. Before another argument could ensue, the girl steped in between the two.

"P-perhaps you should take some time to think about the time in which you lost your magic. Then, you can let me know if you think of something."

He nodded in agreement.

"Now, maybe we should work on homework?"

* * *

 _"Hm?"_

 _Elyon rubbed her eyes and looked around._

 _"Where am I?" she asked._

 _She had been working with Joel on some work they had to do. Eress had begun flying around, and she started to drift away. Before Elyon could get up, Joel sighed and went after her. Elyon saw... something, and now she was here.  
Only where was here?_

 _Sitting up, she found she was in a hall filled with tiny, multi-colored doors. Looking down, she found she was not wearing her school uniform, but an elegant, flowy, blue dress. She wore no shoes, and her bangs were cut so she could see more clearly, while the rest of her hair fell down her back and over her shoulders in gentle curls. On top of her hair was an elaborate chain crown, with dangling white gems that twinkled every time she moved. She ran her fingers over the fabric of her dress and gasped at how soft it felt. She furrowed her brow. She didn't recall owning anything she wore, nor did she remember changing.  
_

 _Elyon stood up and looked around, hoping to gain a better idea of where she was. The hall was eerily silent and clean, and it truly felt empty of life. Even her own appearance seemed foreign. Biting her lip, Elyon started walking. She was scared to call out, as she wasn't sure if she'd get a response, or what would respond. Instead, she clutched the sides of her dress and silently pushed on. As she walked, she felt a shift in the air, and just like that, she realized she was no longer alone. Elyon looked back, a glimmer of hope in her heart.  
Alas, she saw nothing._

 _Turning back, she continued walking. Suddenly, she heard a woman's voice._

 _"Elyon? Where are you going, my dear?"_

 _Elyon whipped her head back around, but still found nothing. She felt very afraid. Turning back, she kept moving, her pace increasing ever so slightly._

 _"Won't you answer me, my dear? I only wish to talk."_

 _Something about this woman's voice made Elyon nervous. Without looking back, she kept moving on, her pace obviously increasing by the minute._

 _"How rude, Elyon! Didn't Madam Cloeten teach you better? What was the point of all her etiquette lessons if you were only going to abandon them as soon as she passed?"_

 _Somehow, this woman knew about Elyon's past. Now running, the girl was terrified. The woman started laughing, though it felt cold and mocking. Tears formed in Elyon's eyes as she flew down the seemingly endless hall way. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see flickers of movement, and she could feel something touching the back of her hair. Whatever was behind her, Elyon knew it would catch her soon, and something inside her mind, something almost primal, told her she would meet a horrid fate if it got her. Without any other plan, she ripped open one of the doors and fell through, slamming it shut behind her._

* * *

 _Hunched over, Elyon was panting. The door had vanished behind her, the presence from before seemed to be gone. After catching her breath, she stood up and looked around. She seemed to be back at the academy, but she was still wearing the strange clothes from before. She lifted her hand, shocked to find she was translucent. Looking around, Elyon felt afraid._

 _"It will do me no good to just stand here," she said aloud, hoping the sound of her own voice would give her some sense of security, "I shall go find the Headmaster!"_

 _With that decided, she walked on, leaving no footsteps behind her._

 _She walked into one of the buildings, feeling uneasy as none of the other students or professors could sense her. For a moment, she thought she saw Klaus, but stopped when she heard the young man's name._

 _"Walter, you should smile more!" laughed a young woman with short orange hair, "Claire will be too scared of you, and then you'll never get to ask her out!"_

 _"Enough, Tillie. I will handle it." he growled back, "You just focus on your own beloved."_

 _"Whoever you are," Elyon thought aloud, "you are quite like Klaus."_

 _However, she noticed the small smile the golden-haired man had on his face as he talked with the woman. Feeling slightly better, she walked on. She had just passed a classroom, when a pair of young women came barrelling out. The shorter of the two had a pair of pink ponytails and a large grin on her face. The other had a long, fiery red braid._

 _"Wilma! We haven't tested that out yet!" the red head called out._

 _"But look, there's something here!" the pink haired woman responded._

 _She stepped closer to where Elyon had stopped and held out a strange device towards her. It started beeping faster and faster, and both women looked excited. Out of curiousity, Elyon reached her hand out to touch it, when it suddenly exploded._

 _"See?! I told you to wait Wilma!"_

 _"Oops!"_

 _After confirming the two were okay, she continued walking. She spoke her thoughts aloud as she walked._

 _"How very peculiar. This is the academy, yet the people seem different. While I haven't been here, or there, long, I feel like I should have seen or heard of at least one familiar name."_

 _Eventually, she reached Headmaster Randolph's office. Before she could even touch the door, however, it opened._

 _"Sorry, Headmaster!" laughed a girl._

 _She seemed to be about Elyon's age, maybe a year younger. But that was not what shocked the girl. The headmaster was laughing as the door closed, but Elyon's attention was focused on the girl. Without really thinking, Elyon followed her._

 _They walked out of the building, out past the courtyard, out of sight from the other students, and far into the forest. The girl sat down on a tree stump, setting up what looked to be lunch. Elyon walked up in front of the girl. She sank to her knees as she watched those dark brown eyes fill with excitement. Watched that short, wild, white hair bounce with every movement the girl made. Watched that large grin bloom on her face. The girl stuck out her hand to greet someone, but Elyon reached her hand towards her._

 _"Momma?"_

 _And that was all she could say before the world fell away._


	8. An Investigation

Elyon opened her eyes with a start. Looking around, the girl found she was in a bed. The room was dark and filled with many other beds. She tried to sit up, only to feel lightheaded. As she began to swoon, a nurse came over. Her large, rose colored eyes were filled with concern and relief.

"Are you alright, Elyon?" she asked.

"Um... I believe so. What happened?"

"Your buddy, Joel Crawford, carried you in, saying you wouldn't wake up. He looked worried, and after a couple tests, we found a small trace of magic. It was lifted easily, and didn't cause you any physical harm." the nurse explained, "That was just yesterday."

"Ah, how strange. Thank you, Ms..."

"Liesel Hart." she smiled, "but most people call me Liz."

"Thank you, Nurse Liz."

"Anytime, Elyon. Now, you should probably get some more rest. Joel will likely be here as soon as he possibly can. He was very worried about you, you know. I think he wanted to stay here over night just to take care of you." the nurse said with a wink.

Before Elyon could reply, she left. With pink cheeks, she laid back down.

 _Joel was that worried? I didn't realize he cared so much. How odd, even though we just met, I already feel so comfortable with him around. Maybe the feeling is mutual? I wonder why..._

As her eyes began to feel heavy, Elyon's thoughts shifted from her buddy to her dream. That was strange, too. She hadn't had a dream quite like that before, and she'd only seen her mother look like that in pictures. Not to mention the eerie hallway and the mysterious woman. A wave of exhaustion fell over her, and her eyelids grew heavy.

 _How very odd..._

* * *

Joel did not sleep well. He kept flashing back to when he'd found Elyon. He'd only left for a moment. The wind had caused the bug to start drifting away, and Elyon had already been inconvenienced, so he got up and went. When he'd returned with the bug, they'd found her lying on the ground. She had looked to be in pain, whimpering slightly. He'd tried to shake her awake, and noticed a tiny vine slowly winding around her delicate finger. As soon as he'd pulled it off, it had blackened and shriveled.

"Get up, you bum! I need to check on Elyon!" barked the bug.

 _She didn't make this any easier!_

"You're annoying," he growled, "And I'm all ready to go."

"Ugh, I can't believe I have to sit in your smelly pocket," she whined, flying into his jacket, "Don't you ever wash your clothes? You know your smell is gonna gross out Elyon!"

"What smell? You're just complaining for the hell of it."

" _Man stench_ ," she hissed, "All men reek of it. Some more than others."

"If you think every guy smells like that, why are you only harassing me?"

"You're the only one who knows I'm here!"

They went back and forth, bickering like children. They ignored the strange looks they got from the other students as they hurried towards the hospital wing. As they reached the front door, their argument subsided. Just as Joel went to push the door open, the nurse opened it before he had a chance.

"Oh, Joel!" she smiled, "I thought you'd be here soon. She's doing much better now, and she should be able to go to class, if she likes."

"Thank you."

He ignored the smirk she gave him as he bustled into the room. Nurse Liz chuckled as she stepped out to run some errands, closing the door behind her.

Elyon was still lying down, seeming to be half-asleep. The bug wasted no time in shooting out of his pocket and fluttering towards the girl.

"Don't wake her up!" he hissed.

"Of course I won't!"

"Then quit yelling!"

"I'm not!"

A small sigh escaped the white-haired girl's lips. Her eyes fluttered open, and an exasperated look fell over her face.

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," she mused, "but I'm glad you two managed to spend more than a few hours together without too much trouble."

The boy and fairy exchanged a glance. They silently agreed to not mention the events of the previous night. Instead, Joel sat down in the chair next to her. Without giving it much thought, he reached out and brushed the hair from her eyes. A light blue gaze bore into him, as though Elyon were trying to find something.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Elyon was silent for a few moments, then spoke.

"I had some rather... odd dreams," she admitted, "They woke me up last night."

"What were they about?" Eress asked, sounding worried.

"I'm afraid I don't actually know," the girl awkwardly confessed, "I don't understand what was happening. Oh! After fell back asleep, I had a dream about June. It's so odd that I'm suddenly remembering her... We were so close, so I can't understand how I could have forgotten her."

* * *

 _"Hey, June?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"We'll be friends forever, won't we?"_

 _The girl with black hair faced her white-haired friend._

 _"Of course! Why do you ask?"_

 _Her friend shrugged._

 _"Just wanted to ask..."_

 _"Oh, okay."_

 _With that, they continued walking. As they approached the white-haired girl's house, she reached out to grab June's hand._

 _"No matter what, you're my best friend in the world. Don't forget that."_

 _"And you're my best friend, Ellie. Why are you acting so weirdly?"_

 _"It's just a feeling I have."_

* * *

"I feel awful," Elyon sighed, "I could have walked right past her and never known it."

Joel bit his lip, averting his gaze.

 _He must think I'm a horrible friend._

"I-I know it's bad, and I don't know how I could have forgotten her," Elyon continued as she sat up, "I don't know why I've suddenly started remembering her. But I want to remember her! She was my first friend and she deserves more than being just a faded memory!"

The boy reached out his hand and wrapped it around one of hers. He gave a short, tight squeeze but still avoided her gaze. Elyon's face turned red.

"W-what's wrong, Jo-"

"June doesn't blame. She wouldn't," he quietly told her, "not if you were so close."

Elyon stared a him for a few moments before smiling.

"Thanks, Joel."

He finally, albeit hesitant, met her gaze. They stayed like that for a few moments, until annoyed coughing brought them back to reality.

"Gross," Eress sneered, "both of you are being gross."

"Says the fat bug."

"SHUT UP!"

Elyon sighed.

* * *

"Really, I'm just fine," the white haired girl sighed, "I appreciate all of your concern."

"But-" Elias pressed.

"It was probably just a prank," she interrupted.

"Well, if you're not up to class, I'll let you borrow my hideout for when I skip," Luca offered.

"Thank you, Luca," she smiled, "but I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I have ten days until I'm weighed by the scale of judgment, so I need to focus on my grades."

"Smart decision," Elias nodded.

Before any of them could say anything else, the bell rang. The students all slipped into their seats, even Luca, as Professor Schuyler walked in. As soon as he began speaking, Elyon heard a light gasp from her bag.

"That brooding look, those mature features, that bad boy aura! He's so my type!" squealed Eress.

"I-is he?"

 _I find him quite scary myself..._

As though he sensed her thoughts, the professor turned his attention on the girl.

"Elyon," he began, "among the Minor Arcana tarot cards, which one represents the tool you use for spell casting?"

"The wand, sir."

"Correct."

He continued with the lesson, focusing on a spell that multiplied objects. Eress was quick to help, though the girl wasn't sure if it was for her sake or for the professor.  
Either way, it didn't go as planned.  
While she was able to multiply the number of apples, the object chosen by the professor, it was not supposed to fill the room. Eress began proudly congratulating herself on her immense power, while Elyon was shrinking down as an angry Professor Schuyler stalked towards her.

* * *

The hall was empty as the girl waited outside the classroom door. The classes in her own hall had been released, but it seemed Joel's hadn't.

"I'm glad I got to see Schuyler's face up close," Eress sighed, "he was even more handsome than I'd imagined."

"Eress," Elyon huffed, "that got me into trouble."

"A worthy sacrifice."

The girl let out deep sigh.

"Anyway," the fairy continued, "I wanted to tell you. You're helping me a lot right now, so I'll grant you one wish. I'll grant it so long as it's within my power."

"A wish? I'll need to think about what I want then. "

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from down the hall. The fairy flew into the girl's bag as they watched the figure approach. She was a girl, maybe around Amelia's age, with violet hair and and an hourglass figure. When she noticed Elyon's presence, she grew an odd sort of smile and made a beeline towards her.

"Hi, there," she cooed, "Are you lost?"

"Oh, no," Elyon smiled back, "I'm just waiting for my buddy."

"Really, now? Is your buddy by any chance, Joel Crawford?"

"Yes. My name is Elyon Warvant. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Summer Peters, and the pleasure's all mine."

A bell rang and the doors in the hall opened. As though it were a signal, Summer started walking away.

"Let's meet again, Elyon!" she called over her shoulder, "I'd love to chat."

"Yes, that would be lovely!" she answered.

 _That was a bit odd, but she was friendly enough._

Elyon waited by the door until a certain black haired boy stepped out. With a warm smile, the girl stepped towards him.

"Hello, Joel," she greeted him, "How was class?"

"Fine. What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to see you."

She didn't notice the ever-so-faint pinkness rise in his cheeks.

"See me?"

"Yes, I thought we could start our investigation anew."

"But you said-"

"I've been thinking of other ways to find out what's going on. We could start off by asking around."

Eress snorted loudly from within Elyon's bag, and Joel was frowning and about to remind her that his loss of magic was a secret.

"We could use a cover story. Maybe it's for a paper or something."

The boy stopped and thought. After a few moments, he nodded.

"Alright."

"There are four sources I want to check. If we each take two, we can meet up and discuss what we've learned."

"Okay, what should I do?"

 _Joel's not the most... verbally eloquent person. I think he should take the library and... the prefect. I would be too intimidated to speak properly if I were to talk to Klaus..._

She assigned her buddy his sources, and explained she would talk to the students and professors. Once they were finished, they'd meet up in the courtyard. With their tasks decided, they set off in opposite directions.  
Elyon walked down the staircase, searching for students on their way to the dorms. She happened to see a few familiar faces. Quickening her pace, she caught up to them.

"Hello, Zack. Hello Terrance," she called out to the two upperclassmen, "I'm sorry to stop you two, but I have a few questions."

"Elyon!" cooed the violet haired boy, "Anything to help such a cutie!"

"Hey, Elyon," Terrance smiled at her, "is everything alright?"

"Oh, I'm okay. I'm writing a paper on losing one's magical abilities. I wanted to ask if either of you know a way to get it back."

"Oof," Zack cringed, "tough topic. Sorry, I've got no clue."

"Neither do I," Terrance added, sounding apologetic, "it's a tough question. You might be better off asking one of the professors."

"Oh, okay," Elyon sighed in disappointment, "thank you."

"Good luck!" Zack grinned, patting her head.

"If you need help on anything else, let me know. I'll be happy to help where I can," said Terrance.

Elyon waved them goodbye before heading off to find a professor.  
Preferably not Professor Schuyler.

...  
...

After a light knock on the door, a voice invited her in. Stepping through the door, Elyon was met with the sight of Professor Merkulova boiling a kettle of water. He gave her a warm smile and gestured for her to take a seat.

"I'm making some Lavender tea. Would you like a cup?" offered the professor.

 _There's something... familiar about him..._

"Yes, please. Do you have cayenne pepper? Or perhaps cinnamon?" Elyon asked.

At her request, he laughed. Her face turned red and she looked away.

 _Oh, I knew it would be too odd! Madam Cloeten said it was bizarre and improper! I should have listened!_

"You're just like your mother."

At that, Elyon snapped her head back up. She stared at him in shock and confusion.

"You're curious now," he mused, "but that's a story for another time. You came here with a question, right?"

"O-oh! Right!" Elyon shook her head, returning her focus t why she'd come, "It's about Joel. You know about how he's... lost his magic."

"Indeed. It's truly tragic."

She solemnly nodded.

"I wanted to know if there were some way for him to get it back."

"I see. As much as I want to help, and Elyon I truly do, his problem is a not easy to solve. I know he's already tried every method we could find, but I don't know of any way. If it doesn't pass over soon..."

"It'll be a major problem..." she finished in a whisper.

He gave a sad nod.

"Since I cannot help you find a solution, I'll make a suggestion," Professor Merkulova smiled, "there has to be a reason why this has happened. If you can figure out the reason, you may have an easier time finding the solution."

"Ah, I see! Thank you, Professor."

After that, she finished her tea. They had a casual chat about lighthearted matters. Once she was finished, she left. However, right after walking out the door, Elyon turned around.

"Professor," she hesitantly began, "have we met before?"

He gave her a soft smile, though there was something sad about it.

"I'll give you a hint:  
 _Beside the slab of granite step  
bluebells bloom 'neath southern sun  
a saucer full of milk thumb deep  
sits waiting for the wee small ones,  
beauteous ones that no one shuns._"

"That's a poem, isn't it, sir?"

"Let me know when you remember the rest. And no cheating!"

With that, he softly closed the door. She furrowed her brows, trying to figure out what he meant as she made her way to the courtyard. She didn't realize someone was calling out to her until a hand caught her shoulder. She let out a loud squeal and a couple other students turned to look at her.

"Sheesh, you're loud," Joel grumbled, "I tried calling out to you."

"S-sorry..."

"Let's go somewhere else to talk," he suggested.

She gave a nod, and they headed for the spot by the lake. They sat down on the grass, and Elyon opened her bag so Eress could get out and stretch her wings.

"Klaus didn't know anything, and there are only ten books on the loss of one's magic. I've already read them," the boy reported.

"I see," she nodded glumly, "the students couldn't help, but Professor Merkulova suggested finding the cause of the problem."

"Makes sense..."

They sat in silence for a while. Elyon wasn't sure of what to do next. She had expected to make more progress, and now she had no idea what they were supposed to do. Eress began fluttering around, stretching her wings with boundless energy.  
Suddenly, an idea hit her.

"Eress!" she called, "Could you come down here for a moment?"

"What is it?" the fairy asked.

"It's about the wish you offered me."

"Oh, have you found something?"

Elyon nodded.

"I'd like you to restore Joel's magic. Please."

Joel widened his eyes in surprise.

"What?!" Eress snorted, "You're gonna waste it one this guy?"

"Shut up, bug. I'm not in the mood."

Elyon sighed and stared up at her fairy companion. Eress groaned and flew in front of Joel. Closing her eyes, she hummed.  
It went on for a minute.  
Then two.  
Then three.  
And then...

"Sorry! I can't do it!"

"Useless."

"Joel! You can't just say that!"

"I'm destroy that snobby brat!"

"Not with that magic."

"Why you!"

"Please stop, both of you!"

* * *

The room was dark, and her roommates were asleep. Elyon lied on her bed, thinking about her day.

 _It's been rather... eventful..._

She thought back to the professor's poem.

 _Maybe if I concentrate, I'll have a dream about it. I've been having a lot of those lately._

Rolling over, she faced the window. The stars were shining, and the moon was nearly full. With a soft sigh, she made a wish on the brightest star.

 _Please, let me help my friends._

* * *

 ** _Sweet Dreams_ , Debbie Guzzi**

* * *

 **Sorry I haven't been updating lately! I've had a ton of stuff to do and not enough sleep. But I've got a lot of things in production, so I'll be posting them as soon as I finish them!**


	9. A Break in the Case

_Elyon looked around. She was back in the hall, back in the strange clothes. She cautiously looked around herself, fearing the entity from before._

 _She breathed a sigh of relief when she couldn't find it._

 _She took a step forward, analyzing the different doors._

 _"Well," she mused, "I suppose I should open one. Perhaps I'll find the next part of Professor Merkulova's poem."_

 _After thinking for a few moments, she spoke up._

 _"I shall choose the brown door," she decided, "it's the same color as his eyes, so perhaps there's some correlation?"_

 _She opened the door and walked through._

* * *

 _A woman with short, snow-white hair was flopped down on the grass. She looked like she was dozing off._

 _"Come on, Evelyn," groaned another voice, "you may be good at magic, but I'm not."_

 _Lifting her head, Elyon was shocked to find a young Merkulova. His hair was far shaggier, and it was odd seeing him dressed in a student's uniform._

 _"You need to learn to relax, Loran," the girl lying down giggled, "you'll give yourself wrinkles if you worry so much!"_

 _Young Merkulova sighed._

 _"Come on, Loran. Lay down with me."_

 _"But I have to study!"_

 _"I'm your buddy, dummy!" she huffed, "I'll help your grade, so lay down and relax for a second!"_

 _Elyon let out a small chuckle. That girl was definitely her mother. Though it was quite a shock to learn that her professor and her mother had been buddies._

 _After some hesitation, Young Merkulova did as he was told. He stared up at the clouds with a sigh. The pair laid in silence, staring up at the sky. After a while, the boy quietly spoke._

 _"_ _Beside the slab of granite step  
_ _bluebells bloom 'neath southern sun  
_ _a saucer full of milk thumb deep  
_ _sits waiting for the wee small ones,  
_ _beauteous ones that no one shuns."_

 _Young Evelyn turned to look at him. Young Merkulova looked back._

 _"Well, won't you finish it?" the girl asked._

 _"Yes, please continue," Elyon added, then remembered that they couldn't hear her._

 _Young Merkulova sighed with an exasperated smile._

 _"When I recite poetry, you stop me. When I don't, you tell me to. What am I expected to do here, Evelyn?"_

 _Young Evelyn groaned._

 _"Finish what you start, of course! Don't worry so much about what others think!"_

 _Young Merkulova stared at her in surprise for a few moments.  
Then a bright smile lit up his face._

 _"Feed them fine with sweets and cream  
so they'll not steal your child new born.  
Gift them tokens you hold in esteem  
jewels as small as dew drops formed  
and perhaps you'll be transformed."_

 _He opened his mouth to say more, but the world went silent. Elyon took a step towards the pair, only for the world to fall away. The ground gave way beneath her, and Elyon screamed as she fell into the dark abyss._

* * *

 ** _THUNK_**

Elyon let out a pained groan.

"Are you okay?" Amelia asked, rushing over.

Rubbing her head, the girl sat up and looked around. She was back in her dorm room, lying in a heap next to her bed. Amelia looked concerned as she helped her to her feet.

"I believe I just... had an odd dream and fell out of bed," Elyon reassured her, "but I'm alright."

 _Though, I'm rather annoyed that I couldn't hear the rest of the poem. I suppose I got quite a bit of information._

"You should get ready," Amelia told her, "We have about a half hour before classes start."

"W-what?! What happened to the time?"

"We both overslept. I was about to wake you up, but..."

Elyon flew off the floor and ran about the room, getting ready in a mad rush. During this time, she asked Amelia for help with a magical note. She sent it to Joel, apologizing and asking that he go ahead without her. While her roommate was in the bathroom, she opened her drawer.

"Geez, you both sleep like the dead!" the fairy snapped, "I'm starving!"

"I'll try to grab you something, but for now, please get in my bag!"

The fairy grumbled as she obliged to the girl's request. A few moments later, the older girl stepped out, throwing a confused look at Elyon. The younger girl gave an awkward smile.

...  
...

"You forgot to brush your hair," Eress hissed as the girl rushed through the halls.

"I know..."

"It looks like a rat's nest!"

"It's awful..."

She could feel the other's stares, snickers, and whispers. She bit her lip, grateful that her bangs could cover her now watery eyes.

 _Madam Cloeten would be so upset! I look terrible! Truly, painfully awful!_

She wasn't paying attention to where she was going, and ended up crashing into someone.

"I-I'm so sorry!"

"What the hel- O-Oh, hi, Elyon!"

Lifting her head, she found the violet-haired Summer. Through her watery eyes and long hair, she had a hard time making out the older girl's expression. Summer offered her hand and helped her up. She stared at Elyon, who shrank away from her intense gaze. After a few moments, the girl let out an exasperated sigh.

"Come on."

She took her hand and pulled her through the halls. Eventually, they ended up in one of the girls' bathrooms. She was brought in front of a huge mirror. She heard the other girl shuffle through her bag until she a heard a small 'Ah-ha'.

"You can't just run about with your hair like that," Summer scolded, "girls have to look their best."

The older girl began brushing her hair.

"Why just girls?" Elyon asked.

"Because boys want the prettiest one. If you don't try, you finish last."

"Not all guys are like that. Not all girls have to rely on looks."

The brush painfully yanked her hair.

"... Sorry."

"It's alright."

She heard a quiet huff followed by some muttering.

"If you think that, then you'll really have trouble getting guys' attention. They choose whoever looks best, and once someone prettier comes along, they move on."

"That's not true! Yes, there are guys who are like that, as well as girls. However there are just as many who really want to be with a person they love!"

Summer snorted as she turned her around.

"It's nice that you're so innocent, but I've been around longer than you. I've seen it happen plenty of times already, and I'll see it plenty of times more. Even your boy will leave you for the prettier girl."

 _My boy?_

"Anyway, why are your bangs so long?"

Summer lifted her snowy bangs and widened her eyes in surprise when she saw the younger girl's face.

"Well, I'm shorter than many other people," Elyon explained, an embarrassed blush spreading over her features, "When my bangs are long, I don't have to stare up at them. It makes me smaller when I do."

"Shame. You have a cute face. You could probably give me a run for my money."

Elyon smiled shyly.

"No, I don't think so. You're far prettier than I am."

Summer's cheeks turned pink.

"F-flattery won't get you anywhere! You can't give props to your competition!"

Elyon tilted her head.

"Competition? You and I aren't competing."

Summer snorted, but before she could say anything, Elyon continued.

"Rather, I was hoping we could be friends."

Summer stared at her in shock, then turned her gaze away.

"... Not possible. Anyway, you're done."

She ushered the snow-haired girl out the door. Then, she walked in the opposite direction. She stopped suddenly, then spoke over her shoulder.

"You should be more brave and confident. You won't accomplish anything if you spend your time being afraid."

And then, with a swish of long, violet hair, disappeared into the crowd.

...  
...

Class began as soon as the bell rang. The girl didn't even have time to talk to her friends before the teacher walked in. A few of the girls sighed dreamily. Elyon could understand why. He was young, with large brown eyes, and neatly kept light blonde hair. He

"I am Professor Velantine," he said, "I hear we have a new student?"

Elyon stood up.

"My name is Elyon Warvant, sir."

The man raised his eyebrows.

"I thought there was an Evelyn Warvant. I haven't heard anyone talk about an Elyon."

A few of the students snickered. Luca threw her a sympathetic smile, and Elias sighed and shook his head.

"No, sir. Evelyn was my mother," she explained.

"Ah, okay. Sorry about that. Anyway, to today's lesson. Wands. Every wand is different. Although they all look the same when we first get one, they warp and change as the wizard or wizardess uses it. They match the wielder's magic."

He rubbed his chin as he looked across the students. Then, he nodded, as though he'd made a decision.

"Elyon, Luca, Elias, stand up here please."

Elyon tilted her head, then quickly followed her two classmates to the front of the class. At the professor's orders, they laid wands down on his desk. He recited an incantation, and an image of their wands was projected onto the chalk board.

 _Wow, they really are different!_

"As you can see, these all have very different looks. Before I tell you whose is whose, does anyone want to guess?" Professor Velantine asked.

A girl raised her hand.

"Does the butterfly one belong to Evelyn? Oops, I mean Elyon."

Elyon looked down, not that anyone could see.  
A few of her friends snickered.

Another girl raised her hand.

"The beautiful twisting wand made from the dark wand must belong to our dear Prince Elias!"

Elias cringed, but quickly recovered. Luca barely held back a snicker.

A boy raised his hand.

"Then the plain one has to belong to the slacker."

The professor's eyebrow twitched.

"Elias, Elyon, Luca, please pick up your wands."

Elyon took the light colored one with tiny butterflies beginning to form on it.  
Elias took the thick, smooth wand.  
Luca picked up the twisted one.

"You see, the wands also match the wielder's personality. The butterflies mean hope, meaning its wielder is hopeful and optimistic. The smooth wand means Elias is serious and hardworking. The twisting in Luca's wand mean he isn't by-the-book and prefers to do things his way. You three may sit down."

However, before they left, he whispered for them to stay after class.

The rest of the lesson went by, and before she knew it, the bell had rung. Elias and Elyon walked over to the teacher, while Luca slipped out the door.

"I just wanted to apologize to you three," the professor told them, a guilty look on his face, "I hadn't expected your classmates would be so rude. And Elyon, I apologize. I'm not from around here, so I never knew Evelyn. All I knew came from what I overheard."

"It's alright, sir," Elias reassured him.

"Truly, it's no trouble," Elyon added with a smile, "we'll be sure to tell Luca, too."

"Alright," the professor nodded, "you're free to go now."

With that, the pair stepped out of the classroom. Bidding farewell to one another, the girl turned to find a note flying through the air towards her. Unfolding it, she read what was written.

 _Class is being held up.  
Wait for me at the  
usual place.  
\- Joel_

"The jerk didn't even write sorry," Eress grumbled, poking her head out of Elyon's bag.

The girl sighed.

"It's rather like him. Short and to the point."

"And rude!"

Elyon shook her head. She knew it was pointless to argue. Instead, she readjusted her grip on her bag and set off for the meeting place. As she walked, Eress spoke up.

"That girl earlier, her name was Summer wasn't it?"

"Yes, Summer... Peters I believe it was."

"I think you should avoid her. She has trouble written all over."

"Eress," the girl chuckled, "I believe the same could be said about you."

A huff.

"I'm being serious! Watch yourself around her! I don't trust her."

Elyon thought for a bit.

"Alright, I'll be careful. However, I won't be rude, either."

 _After all, she hasn't actually done anything to make me worry._

* * *

"She's a very... interesting person," Summer mused, leaning on Joel's desk.

The boy glared at her.

"Leave her alone."

"Joey, that's not nice! You won't even ask why I said that?"

Joel ignored her. He really didn't want to keep talking to her.

"She bumped into me this morning. It was our _second_ meeting."

This made the boy freeze. He narrowed his eyes and watched the older girl. She smiled smugly, as though she were dangling a treat just out of a dog's reach.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Joey, Joey," she purred, "why don't you hurry up and go see?"

Shoving the last of his things in his bag, the boy rushed out the door.

* * *

"Ta-da!"

Elyon presented her fairy friend with a tiny crown made from the small yellow flowers around them. Eress' eyes were wide as she leaned in for the girl to put it on.

"There, now you're like a beautiful princess," Elyon sighed.

"I'm beautiful enough to be one," agreed the fairy, who quickly grew upset at the look on the girl's face, "Hey, I am beautiful! I'm just under a spell, so you can't tell! I'm sure of it!"

"... I'm certain you're right."

The fairy opened her mouth to continue, when suddenly a person came crashing through the bushes. Bith girls squealed and held each other.

"It's-*huff*-just me," Joel told them through his panting.

"A-are you alright?"

"You bum! You nearly gave us heart attacks!"

"I'm fine," he nodded, then stood up straight, "Did something happen?"

The girl and fairy exchanged glances.

"No, I'm alright," Elyon told him, then tilted her head, "Is something wrong?"

"... Don't worry about it."

"No problem," Eress said.

"I wasn't talking to you, bug."

"I'm not a bug!"

Elyon stepped in between the arguing pair.

"Anyway, sorry I was late this morning. I... ended up oversleeping. But since we're here now, shall we continue our investigation?"

"No."

Elyon's eyes widened in surprise. Eress gasped dramatically.

"Why ever not?"

"I was going to say we should just give up. I already did when you showed up, but yesterday just reconfirmed what I already know."

"Joel..."

"It's so bizarre, I'll probably never find the solution, much less the cause."

"No!" Elyon pushed, surprising her two companions, "I refuse to give up, and I won't let you give up, either! Joel, you have an amazing gift, we can't just let it go to waste!"

Joel was silent as he stared at her.

"You came to the academy to become an amazing spellsinger, right? You can't just give up."

It was silent for a few moments. Then, Eress spoke up.

"You're too nice for your own good. You look stupid wasting your time on this bonehead."

"Oh, you're still here, bug!"

"I've been here the whole time! And I'm not a bug! And even though I just remembered something good, I'm not telling you!"

"Oh, Eress, won't you tell us?" requested the girl.

"This inconsiderate boy makes me sick, so I'm not telling!"

"Please tell me," Joel asked, an extremely annoyed expression on his face.

"Oh, suddenly you're being honest?"

"I'm always honest."

 _I think you meant polite, Eress..._

"Fine, since it concerns me too."

"Ah," Elyon mused, "so it could help you return to your true form."

"I'll only tell you if you _promise_ to help me."

"Promise," Joel nodded, "s'not like I have any other options."

Just as the fairy grew upset at his comment, the girl ushered the conversation along, asking what it was that she remembered. The fairy sighed before she told them.

"... South of Gedonelune, there's a large tree called the Tree of Knowledge. They say it's been there since the founding of the kingdom. Since its roots spread throughout the entire land, it's seen everything. Maybe it knows something, you know? And I think I know how to get to it! I'm not sure why, but I feel like I know the tree well."

Joel shook his head.

"It's no use. We need permission from the academy to leave school grounds. And even if we do get permission, we can only go as far as the main city."

"Is the tree that far away?" the girl asked.

"It's probably take half a day to walk there," Eress told her, "but you're wizards! Can't you just fly there?"

Elyon looked down in embarrassment, admitting that she had no idea on how to ride a broom. And as for Joel, he couldn't use magic in the first place.

"We'll have to walk," Joel stated, "we have a day off in two days. We can use that and leave tomorrow evening."

"But I thought you needed permission from the academy?" Eress questioned.

"We do," Joel nodded, "There's a fence surrounding the academy. There are three gates, but they can only be opened by the professors or prefects."

 _Oh, then how are we to get past?_

"There's a gap in the fence, you know," Eress told them, and immediately caught the students' attention, "that's how I got in before those stupid frogs started chasing me. It's about big enough for a single person to pass through."

"Do you remember where it is?" the girl asked.

"If I remember correctly, it was right past that forest to the north."

"Then I think we could pull it off," the boy confirmed, "we can slip out during the night and come back before curfew the next day."

"Then it's settled. Oh, Joel, what about your roommate?" Elyon asked.

"I live alone, so I can do whatever I want."

"Ah, that's convenient. I'll need to ask Amelia to cover for me then. She's quite nice, so-"

"Hey, wait a minute! You think you're coming with me?"

Joel stared at her in surprise, while she looked back at him with an equally shocked expression.

"Well, naturally I'd accompany you."

"No way."

The girl felt rather taken aback.

"Well, why ever not?"

"It's too dangerous, and you have your Judgement Day to worry about."

"I'm fully aware, but-"

"Just stay here and wait for me."

 _What?_

"You can't make me!"

"What are you, a child?" he snorted.

"We are buddies! We must stick together! I _am_ going, and even if you say no, I'll just follow you anyway!"

Joel muttered something as he smacked himself on the forehead as if admitting defeat. Elyon wore a small smile of victory.

"Fine," he hissed between his teeth, "you can come, but only because you'll start trouble if I leave you."

"Thank you!"

Elyon was so happy, she reached and out hugged the boy without giving it any thought. The boy went as stiff as a statue, and his voice sounded strnage when he spoke.

"... What are you doing?"

His question brought her back to reality. Elyon's face turned brought red as she quickly stepped back.

"I-I'm so s-s-sorry!" she squeaked.

A look fell over the boy's face. Elyon thought it almost looked annoyed.

"Do you always hug guys like this?" he asked.

"N-no! I'm sorry, it's it-it..." she took a deep breath, "it feels okay to hug you, for some reason."

He stared at her in surprise.

"I-It's probably just because of June! You must be reminding me of her."

"So... I remind you of a girl."

"No, no! I mean, you just remind me of _her_!"

"Well, remember who you want. Just keep in mind that I am a man."

Elyon nodded, looking away. A hand plopped down onto her head. She jumped and lifted her gaze and found Joel looking at her with a serious expression on his face.

"By the way," he began, "We don't know what will be out there. So be careful."

Elyon nodded. For some reason, her heart seemed to be beating faster than before. She placed her hand on her chest, wondering why.

"Alright, so tomorrow night after light's out, we'll sneak out of our dorms and meet up on the road towards the Northern Valley.

...  
...

Elyon sat on her bed, twiddling her thumbs. When Amelia stepped out of the bathroom, she took a deep breath and spoke.

"Amelia, about tomorrow..."

"Uh-huh?"

"I need to-to... sneak out... C-could you please cover for me?"

 _I did it! I asked!_

"What?! Tomorrow night?!"

Elyon gulped and nodded.

"Well, I can probably pull it off, but what for?"

Elyon scratched the back of her neck.

"Well... I'm helping... my friend..."

Amelia raised her eyebrow.

"Your friend?"

"Joel..."

Amelia's eyes widened and a huge grin spread across her face. She practically pounced on the younger girl.

"Don't tell me you and Joel are dating!"

Elyon's face was practically on fire.

"Wh-what?! No, no! You're misunder-"

"You two are so bold!"

Before Elyon could speak further, someone behind her yanked a piece of her hair. Unable to turn her head, she felt someone staring dagger into her.

"The situation is too complicated!" Eress hissed, "So just agree!"

"I can't!" Elyon whispered back, "I'm a lady!"

 _Madam Cloeten's spirit would come back and haunt me! I remember the punishments for being too unladylike! I won't have her ghost come back for me!_

"Amelia," she addressed her roommate, "I know how it looks and I know how it sounds, but it's really not like that."

The older girl narrowed her eyes.

 _Ah, what do I say now? I can't tell her the truth... Or rather, not the whole truth..._

"Joel needs help with his spellsinging. There's an event coming up, and he needs to practice. It's a night event, so he wanted to practice at night."

Amelia stared at her. Elyon began to sweat. Eress whispered that the girl was an idiot.

"Alright. What event is it?"

"Um, I'm afraid I don't remember. May I tell you once I have a chance to ask him?"

"... Fine."

With that, they got ready for bed. However, just before she turned out the lights, Amelia gave a warning to her younger roommate.

"Hey, I know you're just trying to help him out," she began, "but what if he's inviting you out with him to confess? Oh, what if he tries to kiss you?"

"W-wha-!"

Amelia giggled.

"You're so innocent, Elyon. Goodnight!"

With a click, the lights were out. Amelia soon fell asleep, but now Elyon was wide awake, thinking about her roommate's words.

 _No, she's just getting revenge for me not telling her everything. There's no way Joel thinks of me like that!  
Or...  
No, no. I'm overthinking things!_


	10. To the Tree of Knowledge

_A large wolf loomed over the two young girls._

 _"W-What should we do?" June asked, her voice shaking._

 _"W-We gotta run!" Elyon whispered._

 _"Wait, if we run, the wolf wi-!"_

 _The large beast lunged at the white haired girl when she tried to flee. On impulse, June picked up a heavy stick and dashed in between the girl and wolf. Holding out the stick, the black haired girl tried to keep the beast at bay._

 _"I'll protect you no matter what, Ellie!"_

 _With that, the girl swung the stick down onto the wolf's head. It smashed the beast's nose, sending it whimpering and fleeing deep into the forest. As June watched it run off, Elyon ran to her._

 _"Are you alright?!" she asked, holding her friend's shoulders._

 _"I'm fine."_

 _"But your leg's bleeding!"_

 _"It's just a scratch..."_

 _Tears filled Elyon's eyes. June looked at her, surprised. Hugging her friend close, Elyon spoke up through her tears._

 _"Don't ever do something like that again! What if something worse had happened to you?!"_

 _June hugged her in return._

 _"The only thing that matters," June soothed, "is that you're not hurt."_

 _"June..." Elyon sobbed._

 _As June wiped away her tears, they could hear the adults shouting as they looked for them._

* * *

A wave of guilt flashed over Elyon's heart.

 _I'm an atrocious excuse for a friend! After how much she cared for me, I-!_

Biting her lip, the girl tried to hold back tears.

...  
...

As the girl made her way out of her dorm, she grew more and more nervous.

"Relax," Eress sighed, "you won't be leaving for a while."

"Oh, I'm still breaking the rules, though!"

"Then why not just stay home?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that either."

"My goodness. Why would you go through such lengths for that moron?"

Elyon flashed back to her roommate's comments from the previous night. Her face turned pink as she replied.

"H-He's my buddy. That's all!"

"Well, speak of the devil!"

Up ahead, the spellsinger was walking with his back facing them. Elyon called out as she picked up her pace. He slowed down and waited for her to catch up.

"Good morning, Joel," she greeted him, "We've been seeing an awful lot of each other in the morning, haven't we?"

"Yeah." He nodded, "Will you be ready for tonight?"

"Yes. Amelia agreed to cover for me. Oh, don't worry, I didn't mention the details of your situation."

"Sorry for the trouble," he apologized.

"Oh, don't be! I wanted to tell you that I also found a way to get out." She smiled up at him. "Don't worry, Joel, we'll definitely succeed."

He gave her a gentle smile.

"Hearing you say that really gives me confidence."

They continued walking together. They discussed this and that, and slowly, the girl's nerves started to melt away.

...  
...

Elyon sighed. She'd just finished convincing Eress to not embarrass her again. The fairy nodded, upset when she learned that Professor Schyuler wouldn't be teaching the class. The door opened and the girl was shocked when she saw who walked in.

"You look puzzled, Elyon," the headmaster chuckled, "you didn't know that I teach classes as well?"

"N-No, sir. I suppose I didn't."

"Ah, no worries. Anyway, today we'll be continuing our lecture on Magical Creature Ecology. Today's lesson will focus on fairies."

"Is it my time to shine?" Eress excitedly whispered.

"Please don't!" Elyon whispered back.

She carefully pushed the fairy down into her bag, ignoring her grumbling.

"Fairies inhabit every region of Gedonelune," Headmaster Randolph began, "Fundamentally, they are intelligent, social, and have even created their own unique society. They are one of the magical creatures most similar to humans. However, when it comes to intelligence, it can be said they excel over humans. The fairies that control the four elements, the Four Spirits, are typically solitary beings and are closest to the general concept of fairies. Now, among the four spirits, which ones are water spirits?"

Elyon raised her hand and answered when he gave her a short nod.

"The answer is Undines, sir."

"Correct! Well done," he smiled at her before continuing, "Undines live around rivers and streams. They have no gender, but they're said to take the form of beautiful women. They are believed to be very curious with an affinity towards humans."

Luca leaned over.

"Hey," he whispered, "do you think that means I have a shot?"

"Shame on you, Luca," she quietly scolded, trying to hold back a small smile, "we need to focus."

He feigned hurt pride as the girl turned her attention back to the lesson.

"In general, most fairies hate humans and will not reveal themselves. However, there are numerous tales written in which an Undine falls in love with a human. Undines are kind-hearted and pure, it is said..."

"What do you mean 'kind-hearted and pure'?!" Eress hissed, "They're arrogant and phony!"

Elyon looked down at her in shock. A look of realization fell across the fairy's face.

"Perhaps you've met an Undine before?" the girl suggested.

"I don't know, but just thinking about it pisses me off!"

 _She's quite agitated. Perhaps I should just keep quiet for now._

...

* * *

...

The sun sank below the horizon and the moon rose. Though the sky had turned dark, Joel was still in his room.

 _Come on, come on!_

An old woman with short grey hair was slowly making her way down the hall. She was checking each room and her slow progress was driving him insane. Meanwhile, each boy from each dorm room had to stand outside and wait.

"Why doesn't she get assistants to help her?" grumbled one of the boys in the room next to him.

"Dunno. Hell, I'd help her if it meant we got through this faster!" replied his roommate.

"Then why don't you offer?" Joel sighed, "Assuming that's what you really think."

The first boy laughed as his roommate grew flustered.

"Fine! I will!"

With that, he marched up to the dorm-mother. Joel and the other boy watched as he and the old woman spoke. After a few moments, he walked back over.

"Alright. I'm supposed to finish up this floor," he told them.

"Congratulations, Thomas," the first boy snickered.

"Shut up, George! You're gonna help me!"

George tried to resist, but Thomas was bigger and pulled him along.

"Oh, and you're clear," he told Joel.

For a few moments, the black-haired boy watched the pair make their way down the hall. Then, he turned and headed back into his room.

 _I have to hurry._

Pulling on his cape, Joel made his way to the window. He looked both ways. When he was certain the coast was clear, he grabbed a rope he'd made from sheets earlier that day. After a couple tries, he managed to catch a branch with it. He pulled it down and tied it to desk. When it seemed to be holding strong, he climbed out. The branch creaked a couple of times, raising the boy's heart rate. However, he managed to get to the ground in one piece.

He took another look around before he made his way to the meeting place.

...

* * *

...

"He's late," Eress mused, "do you think he ran away?"

"No." Elyon shook her head. "He's not the type that would do that."

"That's right. I would never run away."

The girl jumped and spun around. There she found Joel looking down at her.

"Sorry I'm late. The dorm-mother was making her rounds," he explained.

"That's no problem," she smiled up at him, "I'm just glad you made it. Shall we get going?"

"Yeah."

They made their way through the gap in the fence and down through the forest. Elyon, who was not one to break rules, was feeling cautiously optimistic.  
Until it became clear that Eress was lost.

 _B-But then how do we get to the Tree?!_

"I'm going to rip off her wings," Joel growled.

"J-Joel, wait please!" Elyon cried.

"I'm thinking! Shut up!" Eress hissed.

Suddenly, the fairy's wings began to brightly glow.

"Ah, that's right!" she cried out, "We can use this Fairy Road as a shortcut to the Tree of Knowledge! We have to grow though the world of fairies, but there are always connections between this world and that one. Though, the location and even the time axis are completely random unless you know how to navigate it! But that's why you need me, your fairy guide!"

 _Ah, I suppose this is what she meant about it taking half a day._

"You know," the boy grumbled, "your vague memory is going to land us in trouble someday."

"I'm doing just fine so far! Look, I found the Fairy Road, didn't I? If you're going to complain, don't use it!"

Elyon tried to apologize, but Joel made another snappy comment, which of course caused an angry retort from the fairy. The girl sighed as she was lead to the Fairy Road.

 _Why can't they at least try to get along?_

They walked through a glittering tunnel, and Elyon looked about in silent excitement. In the distance, there was a black hole that looked to be an exit. However, as they approached, Joel reminded them of fairies' natural hostility towards humans. Though Eress had confidently reassured them, the girl was still cautious.

 _It's too late now, I suppose..._

They walked into a dark cave. Elyon stepped closer to Joel as she looked around.

"Hmm..." Eress muttered, "I feel like stupid little things live here..."

"... Stupid?" Elyon echoed.

"Humans! Humans! Get out! Leave!" shrieked a voice that sounded like it was coming from near their feet.

Looking down, they found tiny people, no more than four inches tall, running about. They all had large noses and wore three corner hats.

"What are they?" Joel asked.

"Gnomes!" Eress replied, "Now I remember! This is a gnome den!"

As Elyon opened her mouth to ask a question, the gnomes gave the signal to attack. Water sprinkled down on them from above. While Eress and Elyon ended up getting soaked, Joel managed to stay dry.

"Let's get out of here!" he called, "Run!"

Joel grabbed the girl's arm, and the trio went fleeing from the cave with angry gnomes in pursuit. After they got outside and made some distance, they stopped to catch their breath.

"Is it just them, or are all fairies jerks?" Joel asked.

"Probably all of them," Eress sighed.

"That's not comforting," Elyon mumbled.

Both the fairy and girl sneezed. Elyon rubbed her arms. She was cold from gnomes' water attack. Eress began complaining about having frozen wings. Joel grumbled something as he took off his necktie and wrapped it around her. Then, he took off his cloak and wrapped it around the girl. As he tied it around her neck, she spoke up.

"Oh, I'm alright, Joel," Elyon told him, "Your cloak will get soaked."

"I'm not worried about that."

"But..."

She looked up and found his face much closer than she had expected. His eyes widened slightly as he looked back at her. For a few moments, they stood like that.

"Gross," the fairy gagged.

Joel stepped back as he smiled at the girl.

"It's okay. Let's go."

He patted her head and began walking. Elyon and Eress quickly caught up, and together, they entered another glittering tunnel. They walked for some time until Joel pointed out an exit in the distance.

"Could that be where the Tree of Knowledge is?" the girl asked.

"No way!" the fairy cried, "we've only just started walking!"

"I suppose you're right..."

"Let's check it out," Joel suggested.

Elyon nodded and followed him through.

Looking around, the trio found themselves in a forest surrounded by thorny bushes.

"Briar Forest!" Eress called out, then her wings went straight, as though she had just remembered something. "Wait, there's something about the fairies here."

"Humans!" shouted a new voice.

Turning their heads, they found a pretty but inhumanly thin woman. She was a few inches shorter than the girl. She had light green skin and her eyes were completely red. Her hair was dark green and spiky, similar to thorns. She only wore a skirt made from red rose petals. She glared up at them. Another fairy with a similar appearance popped out nearby.

"And a female of all things!" she growled.

"We hate girls!" Yet another appeared, "You stop here!"

As more and more sprites appeared, Elyon grew more and more afraid. Without giving it much thought, she grabbed onto Joel's arm and hugged herself to him. The boy stepped forward and tried to shield her from the angry glares.

"These fairies really hate humans, " Eress explained, "especially girls!"

Suddenly, thorny vines reached out and yanked Elyon away. Joel cried out and tried to grab her, but the vines had already formed themselves into a birdcage. The fairies began cackling.

"Let's leave her here to rot!" squealed one.

"And then feed her bones to the beasts of the shadows!" added another.

One fairy approached to cage. She stared at Elyon for a few moments before a grin so large it seemed to split her face in half boomed.

"Her hair is pretty," she cooed, "I think I'll keep some!"

With that, a vine sliced through the girl's hair, making her cry out. A moment later, the fairy held a small chunk of snow-white hair. The fairy snickered as she flew away with the others.

With her hands shaking, Elyon pulled out her wand.

 _What should I use? Oh, what spell?!  
_ _Stop. I have to stop and think..._

 _Ah, fire magic!_

" **O' flames! Turn everything to ash! Globus Flau!** " the girl shouted.

With the wave of her wand, fire shot forth from the tip. For a moment, Elyon was filled with hope and pride at her spells success. But it faded as the flames were simply absorbed by the vines.

 _A neutralizing barrier?!_

"Now what?!" Eress wailed, "We gotta try something from out here!"

With that, the fairy fluttered her wings and shot a ball of light at the birdcage. However, once it hit the cage, it merely bounced off.

"Damn it!" the fairy cursed, looking upset, "What now?! Joel can't use any magic..."

At some point, tears had started falling from Elyon's eyes. When she realized it, she tried to wipe them away. Joel looked at her, then the cage, never saying a word.

"Joel?" Elyon softly called out to him.

"I'm going to save you." He walked up to the cage.

"But how?" Elyon couldn't keep her voice as even as she'd have liked.

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed the cage with both hands. He flinched as the thorns dug into his skin, but he began pulling at the vines with all his might. He ignored the girl as she called out to him, begging him to stop. He ignored the blood dripping down from his hands to the ground below. He ignored the fairy's shouts, and the girl's pleas as he kept ripping away the vines. With a final roar, he ripped a hole large enough for the girl to crawl through.

"Are you-?!" Joel began, only to be interrupted as the girl tightly hugged him.

"I'm so sorry!" she sobbed.

Joel wanted to hug her, but he didn't want his blood to get on her. As she stepped back, he smiled at her.

"Don't cry. As long as you're safe, I'm happy."

He carefully wiped the tears from her eyes.

* * *

 _"You're okay," June quietly told her friend, "So I'm okay. Please don't cry."_

 _Little Ellie kept sobbing as she tightly hugged her friend._

* * *

A jolt ran through Elyon's body. For a moment, the image she had of June seemed to overlap with the boy in front of her.

"Something wrong?" Joel asked, looking concerned.

"N-No... It's... nothing," she mumbled.

She shook her head.

"More importantly," she began, "your hands."

She took out her handkerchief and ripped it in two. She wrapped each piece around his wounded hands.

"Thanks."

"That's just for now," Elyon told him, "Once we get out of here, I'll heal you with magic."

"She's right," Eress agreed, "we should get moving. Who knows when those wicked things will be back."

Elyon nodded, but as she went to take a step, all the strength left her legs and she fell.

"What happened?!" Joel asked, rushing down to her.

"I think I'm just... tired and in a bit of shock."

"So be it. We've got no other choice."

With those words, he abruptly picked her up. Carrying her bridal style, he began walking.

"Joel! Your hands are injured and I'm far too hea-"

"Don't worry. You're not as heavy as I thought."

"Joel!"

He ignored her protests and after a while, Elyon gave up on refusing. With a red face, she rested her head on his chest. Maybe it was to make herself feel better, but she thought his heartbeat was faster then normal.

...  
...

After some time had passed, the trio made it to a serene lake. The stars reflected so brightly against the lake that it was nearly impossible to separate the sky from the water.

"It's beautiful..." Elyon sighed.

"It sure is something," Joel agreed, looking just as awed.

"It's because the world of fairies is so close to the stars," Eress explained.

Elyon shyly tugged at Joel's sleeve, requesting he put her down. He apologized as he gently set her on her feet. She looked away in embarrassment.

"Thank you..."

"No problem." He smiled back.

Eress gagged and went to look for the Fairy Road. The pair was left in an uneasy silence.

"Thank you for saving me earlier." The girl lifted her gaze.

"Don't mention it. I did it because I wanted to."

"Yes, but you hurt yourself just to help me..."

She picked up one of his hands, gently caressing it with her thumbs.

* * *

 _"Why are your hands so much rougher than mine?" Little Ellie asked._

 _"That's normal, I think," June replied._

* * *

A sudden suspicion fell over the girl's mind. She wasn't sure why, but she felt almost like the boy in front of her and the little girl she'd been friends with were... the same person.

 _I know... My mother's lullaby!_

Elyon began singing in a soft, sweet voice.

"A baby goat stands on a small rock.  
If the sun goes down,  
the goat goes to sleep."

"If the goat goes to sleep,  
he falls off the rock." He finished.

Elyon gasped.

 _My mother made up that song! They must be the same person, but how?!_

Taking a deep breath, she gently tightened her grip on his hand.

"Joel, are you... June?"


	11. The Strange Case of June and Joel

The two wizards stared at one another in silence for what felt like an eternity. Elyon bit her lip and took a determined step forward.

"My mother made up that song," she quietly but firmly stated, "so no one else besides June should know it."

"It took you long enough," the boy sighed.

"W-Wait! Then you really are June?! But June was a girl!"

"No."

The girl found herself growing frustrated.

"Well, then explain. Please. This is a rather... absurd bit of information."

"Fair enough." He began patting her head. "Should I start from the beginning?"

Elyon nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Do you remember my mother?" He waited for the girl to nod again. "Well, she was a spellsinger who traveled all over exterminating magical beasts that caused harm to humans. We had traveled to your village because there was a large outbreak of wargs in the area."

"I remember," Elyon murmured, "they killed a lot of cows and injured quite a few people."

"Right," Joel confirmed, then continued, "My family lineage of spellsingers runs back many generations. To protect the males who inherited the trait from being kidnapped by Leanan-Sidhe..."

"I'm sorry, but who is Leanan-Sidhe?"

"Oh, it's a faery with the form of a beautiful woman that bewitches men and gives them artistic talent in exchange for their magical powers. Anyway, in order to protect us from Leanan-Sidhe, it's a custom to raise our boys as girls until the age of eight."

"Okay..." Elyon nodded. "So that's why you were called June?"

"Right, and things like that are the reason I could grow up without being targeted." Joel suddenly let out a sigh, "As thankful for that as I am, there were a lot of embarrassing memories because of it."

"So you never told me you were a boy?" Elyon asked, furrowing her brow ever so slightly.

"We had to keep it secret from everyone. Besides, you were, what, seven at the time?"

"I understand, but..."

 _But you were my only friend..._

"Besides, I did tell you." Elyon lifted her head and looked at him. Joel let out a sigh. "Forgot, huh?"

Elyon bit her lip and nodded.

 _I forgot my first friend... Maybe I really didn't deserve to have a friend if I'm just going to forget them like... like the leaves under my feet!_

"So you always thought I was a girl, huh?"

Elyon nodded again, and mumbled, "I thought you resembled her, b-but not that you _were_ her..."

"Well, I knew who you were right away, from the very first day you came. You're exactly the same as I remember... Well... Maybe a bit hairier."

The boy reached out, running his hands through the white bangs that hid the girl's eyes. He didn't notice her quivering lip.

"But why..." she murmured, "why don't I remember you? Why am I only remembering now?"

When he didn't respond, Elyon figured he hadn't heard her.

"Do you... remember our promise? That one day, we'd go to the academy together?"

Elyon closed her eyes, trying to remember.

* * *

 _A pair of young children were laying down in a field of flowers. The white haired little girl turned to face her ebony haired friend._

 _"Hey, Junebug?"_

 _"Yeah, Snowdrop?"_

 _"You're going to be a spellsinger when you grow up, aren't you?"_

 _"Uh huh."_

 _"Well... Then I'll be a wizardess. Then we can stay friends and go to the academy together!"_

 _"Really? That'd be awesome! But, Ellie, I'll always be there for you, no matter what."_

 _"Promise?"_

 _"Yes! I promise to always be there for you!"_

 _"... And?"_

 _"Um... Oh! And I promise to go the academy with you!"_

 _The two children widely smiled at one another and reached out to hold each other's hands._

* * *

"Oh..."

"I've been waiting for you this whole time at the academy. I thought it was my only hope of ever seeing you again," Joel said quietly, "But when I suddenly lost my magic, I knew I'd get kicked out sooner or later. Then you finally came when I needed you the most."

"... How could I forget something so important..."

"I guess you don't remember our other promise, either?"

Elyon shook her head.

"It's... It's alright... It's not your fau-"

"Was it an important one?"

"Well, I guess you could say yes and no. But we'll leave it at that until you remember. More importantly, the bug's late. How annoying..."

 _Joel is June, June is Joel... And I forgot him. I forgot my first friend. I forgot the first child to ever be kind to me. How horrible am I?_

"I'm back!" Eress sang, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

"W-Welcome back," Elyon replied weakly.

"You sure took your time," Joel grumbled.

"It seems like my powers have grown weak again. The road could be hard to find, but if we've made it this far, then we're halfway there!" Eress whooped, "So I think we should make camp here. This area seems safe enough."

Elyon lightly coughed.

"Then I'll take a look at Joel's hands."

"Let me just get a fire started, " Joel replied.

"But your hands!" Elyon cried out.

"I'm fine. It's better to get the fire going first."

"Then I'll help!"

"Guess I should, too," Eress sighed.

With the three of them working together, it didn't take long for them to get a fire going. When Elyon commented on Joel's evident experience in starting campfires, he explained that because of his mother's job, he and his family had ended up camping numerous times. A sudden yawn interrupted him.

"I'm sleepy..." Eress muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"Then you ought to sleep," Elyon told her in a quiet voice, "you've certainly earned it."

"Thanks, I think I will."

With that, the blue faery crawled into the girl's bag. Not long after, soft snores could be heard. Elyon moved over and sat on her knees next to where Joel was sitting.

"May I see your hands?"

"Okay."

She unwrapped the bandages on his hands and took a sharp breath when she saw all the cuts and dried blood.

"... Looks painful..."

Her shoulders began to shake.

"I-I'm sorry... It's my f-fault..."

"No, it's not." Joel shook his head. "This happened because of my own choices."

Elyon didn't respond as she drew her wand. Under normal circumstances, she might've been worried about casting a spell, but for some reason, she felt confident that it would work.

" **O sacred water, mend this wound with thy cleansing power. Sanatio Aqua!** "

As the words left her lips, a thin stream of water flowed out of her wand and enveloped the boy's hands. The wounds began to heal at a rapid rate.

"You did it," Joel commented.

When she didn't respond, he frowned.

"Hey, are you okay? You're not hurt or something, are you?"

It was then that he realized Elyon was shivering. He took hold of her shoulders, a wave of worry rolling over him.

"Elyon, what's wrong?"

A sudden sob escaped her, and she buried her face in her hands.

"W-What? Elyon!"

She began trying to speaking through her crying.

"I-I'm so, so s-sorry, J-Joel!" she wept, "All this time, y-you've been w-wa-waiting, a-and I f-forgot all about y-you!"

She lifted her tear stained face and looked at him.

"H-How can you s-stand being a-around m-me?"

For a moment, Joel could only stare in mute shock.  
Then he reached out and tightly pulled her into his arms. The girl buried her face into his chest as she continued sobbing.

"Don't cry, Ellie, please," he quietly begged, tightening his embrace, "don't blame yourself, 'cause I don't blame you either... Gods, what am I supposed to do?"

"I-I said you were m-my b-best f-friend," Elyon continued, "How h-horrible am I?"

"You're not, damn it!" Joel snapped, "You haven't done anything wrong! You're remembering now, and that's the important thing."

"B-But-!"

He took hold of her shoulders and gently, but firmly, pushed her back.

"Don't blame yourself. You've got nothing to apologize for," Joel stated. "And I'm not going to bother accepting meaningless apologies."

Elyon silently stared up at him. With a light cough, Joel reached out and brushed the bangs from her face so he could wipe her tears.

"... You must be tired. Why don't you try to sleep?" he suggested.

"Okay..." Eyon nodded, laying down.

 _The ground's so hard..._ _And it's cold..._

As the girl began to shiver, the boy laid down next to her. He fidgeted around for a bit before speaking.

"You cold?" he asked.

"... A little..."

He shifted around before dropping his cloak over her.

"Then use this."

"I can't!" Elyon cried out, "You'll get cold, too!"

"Don't worry about me, just take it."

"Mm... Let me do this."

With that, Elyon slid closer to her companion. She took off her own cloak and snuggled up next to the boy under the warmth of the two cloaks.

"Now, we'll both be warm," Elyon stated, smiling up at the boy.

Joel stared at her wide eyed. It was then that she noticed how close their faces were. They both turned red.

"You... You understand that I'm _not_ a little girl, right? I'm a man, not a child."

"I-I-I know! I d-didn't m-mean-"

"You know, I can only control myself so much..."

Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her.

"W-What?!" Elyon gasped, her face turning crimson red. "J-Joel?!"

"How can you let your guard down so easily?"

The girl stared up at him in silence.

"Uh, sorry..." the boy quietly apologized, his cheeks turning pink.

He gently let go of her and rolled to face the other way. Elyon kept quiet, unsure of what to say. For what felt like hours, silence reigned the air. Elyon was listening to the crackling of the wood when Joel suddenly spoke up.

"Still awake?"

"Yes..."

He sighed before continuing.

"Earlier... When you were in that cage, I should have been able to save you. I should have been able to use my magic, and you would've been out of there in no time. But... I'm so pathetic..."

Elyon bit her lip and pressed her forehead against his back.

"You're not pathetic, though. You saved me even though it meant you getting hurt. You couldn't use your magic, but you still rescued me. That's far from being pathetic."

"But still... It's so frustrating not being able to use my spellsinging like I always have... I want it back..."

"You will, I'll help you." Elyon let out a small giggle. "In exchange, I request that you sing me, and only me, a spellsong."

"Of course. After all, you're the reason I ever wanted to be a spellsinger in the first place."

"How so?"

"Being a spellsinger, that was expected of me considering our long line of spellsingers. It was only natural for me to continue it. And yet, that never felt like I good enough reason. It was the day I saw you crying that I made a promise to myself. I would become a powerful spellsinger so that I could always protect you, so that you would never cry again."

 _The day... I was crying?_

* * *

 _Past the point of crying, a young Elyon sat staring vacantly out the window. Having refused to leave her home, even with her mother now gone, the Crawfords moved in to take care of her. Day in and day out, June- no, Joel- stayed by her side, caring for her._

 _"I'll stand by your side," he quietly told the girl, taking hold of her hand, "Together forever."_

 _"For... ever?" Elyon murmured, directing her empty gaze to her friend._

 _"Let's make a promise, okay?"_

 _"O... kay..."_

* * *

Biting her lip in shame and guilt, Elyon curled up to the boy by her side.

"That's the foundation of who I am today," Joel finished.

"But... why?"

"If you don't understand, then I'm not going to explain."

"How rude!"

"That reminds me," Joel said suddenly, "what happened after your mother..."

"I'll tell you tomorrow." Elyon yawned. "I'm quite tired."

"Oh, okay. But Elyon?"

"Hm?"

"Our other promise... Let's talk about it after I get my magic back and once you're admitted into the academy."

"... Yes, okay."

With that decided, the pair decided to try and follow their fae companion's lead and tried to get some sleep.

...

* * *

...

Three brier faeries laid motionless across the the dark forest floor. A fourth tried to crawl into the underbrush, only for a laced up, heeled sandal to stomp down on its back.

"Let me go!" it cried in a weak voice.

"Mm... No."

The other figure leaned down and quietly spoke in a sweet voice.

"What is that you have?"

"Y-You can have it! Just l-let me go!" the faery, opening up its tiny clenched fist.

The larger figure took what the other faery was offering. She grinned and a euphoric gleam shined in her blue eyes. Turning her gaze to the faery under her foot, she giggled.

"And where," she asked, "did you find this?"

"A-A cage! In B-Briar F-Forest! I'll take you the-"

"Not what I asked, but still good information. But then that means she got into Elphyne, which brings into question _how_ did she get here?"

"I d-don't know!" the brier faery cried.

"Stupid weed pixie," the larger faery snorted, "and I don't need your help finding Briar Forest. So tell me, should you be allowed to go free?"

"Y-Yes! Please let me go!"

The larger faery pressed a manicured nail to her red lips.

"Hm... I don't think so."

With an unexpected swiftness, she snatched up the brier faery. Holding its face up, she leaned in as though she were trying to kiss the faery. She opened her mouth and took a deep breath in. A pale blue mist flowed from the brier faery to her. The smaller faery let out a short, nearly inaudible scream before its body went limp. The larger faery dropped its body and walked away as it began to shrivel like a dead flower.

"So, it all begins anew," she purred, looking at what the faery had given her.

In her hand was a cluster of long, white hair.

* * *

 **Sorry it took so long to update this story! I'm trying to finish this and The Fearful Heart's Magic before I really start working on The Meek Heart's Magic and The Lost Heart's Magic (not yet posted).**

 **Please leave reviews and critiques, and thanks for reading!**

 **Have a nice day/night!**


	12. The Tree of Knowledge and the Dryad

_"Come on, Snowdrop, let's go pick some flowers for your mom."_

 _A young Elyon laughed and jumped to her feet._

 _"Okay!"_

 _She ran up to the young man's side with a wide smile. She reached up ad grabbed his hand as they walked._

 _"What kind of flowers should we find for her?" she asked._

 _"Well," the man began with a smile, "I don't think it matters what kind of flower you give her. She'll be happy you gave her flowers."_

 _"Oh, okay! You're pretty smart, aren't you?"_

 _The man laughed and gave her a light pat on her head._

 _"I must be. Your mom wouldn't put up with me if I was stupid_ and _weak!"_

 _The little girl laughed as they continued down the path to the flower field._

* * *

"Elyon? Come on, get up. We have to get moving."

"Rise and shine, Elyon!"

The girl rubbed her eyes and sat up. Next to her, Joel was sitting with his brow furrowed.

"Geez, you sleep like a rock," Joel sighed, "We don't have time for you to-"

"But I'm still tired..." Elyon stuck out her bottom lip ever so slightly as she moved her bangs to look up at him.

"Guh!" Joel scooted back with a slight blush. "Just get up!"

"Don't yell at her!" Eress snapped, then pinched the girl's cheek. "How can you get frustrated with this adorable face!"

"Even trolls are adorable when they're compared to you," the boy sniffed.

"How dare you!"

As the two were going back and forth, Elyon had a chance to wake up. She stood up, dusted off her clothes, and swung on her cloak. When the pair finally stopped their bickering, the trio set out. As they walked through a relatively normal looking forest, something shocking happened.

"Flapping my wings is like you walking," Eress was explaining, "in fact, it's probably harder since I'm so much smaller!"

"You're a tough cookie," Joel observed.

Elyon stared at him with wide eyes, though neither of her companions seemed to notice.

 _He just complimented her! Oh, maybe they can get alo-_

"... Surprisingly," Joel added.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Eress snarled.

 _... Of course._

"Please don't fight," Elyon requested.

"How about you look for the Faery Road again, bug?" Joel asked.

"I'm not a bug, for the gods' sake!" the faery snapped, "But give me a second and I'll check."

The blue faery fluttered her wings. Then, particles of light gathered together to form a gate. Elyon lightly clapped.

"Thank you, thank you." Eress jokingly bowed. "I present you the last Faery Road!"

"Let's go." Joel started walking to the gate.

"Yes, let's!" Elyon quickly followed behind.

They made their way through the glittering tunnel until Eress found the right gateway. Upon walking through, the trio found themselves at the base of an overwhelmingly large tree. It was so large, they had to step back to see the whole tree.

 _I guess this is the Tree of Knowledge..._

"Well, how do we ask it a question?" Joel turned to the blue faery.

"Well, it's sleeping if I'm not mistaken." She closed her eyes in thought. "Here, let me try something!"

With that, she flew off towards the tree and entered a tiny crevice.

"WAAAAAKE UUUUUUP!" she screamed.

"Eress!" Elyon gasped, "That's incredibly rude!"

"What did we expect..." Joel grumbled.

Just then, the ground began violently shaking. Elyon let out a squeal and clung to Joel's arm.

"Who has awoken me?" said a voice so loud and deep, it made the ground tremble.

"Tree of Knowledge, we have come because we need your guidance," Eress stated, fluttering in front of the tree.

"Regarding what?" the tree questioned.

"My friend, Jo- Eep!"

As Elyon had begun to answer the tree's question, when she was suddenly lifted into the air by one of the tree's roots. Joel and Eress cried out as the girl was carried higher and higher.

"Sire!" cried a feminine voice. "Her hair's snow-white!"

A female figure formed and leaned out from the tree. She smiled at the girl.

 _Is she a dryad? Oh, she's so pretty!_

Elyon offered a smile in return.

"Indeed," the tree rumbled.

"S-Sir and ma'am, I'm terribly sorry to bother you," Elyon began again once she regained her composure, "However, we need your guidance. The boy down there is Joel, my... friend, and he has somehow lost his magic."

"That boy?" questioned the dryad.

"Ye- Gah!" Joel was answering when he was suddenly lifted into the air by a tree root.

Eress cried out and flew up next to her two companions.

"Do you know a way him to get it back?" Elyon asked.

"Hmm... The young man's magic has not been lost by natural means. Someone has taken it from him," the Tree of Knowledge explained.

"Someone... stole it?" Joel's eyes widened.

"The quickest way to recover your magic is to confront the being who has taken it."

"But _who_ stole my magic?" Joel furrowed his brow.

"The answer is within your heart."

A sudden rumbling shook the earth. The two wizards nearly fell off the roots they were standing on.

"I have listened to your question," the Tree of Knowledge said with a yawn, "Now I shall go back to sleep."

"Wait! What about me?! I've completely lost my memory!"

"If you stick with your friends, you shall find your answer..."

"What kind of help is that?! Hey!"

However, the faery's cries went unheard. The tree had already fallen back into a deep sleep.

"Ooooh! Now he'll be out until _at_ _least_ tomorrow..." Eress groaned, "He's only up once a day!"

"Hey! You should have told us that beforehand!" Joel snapped.

"Don't blame me!" Eress snarled back, "I've lost my memory!"

Elyon sighed, not bothering to stop their arguing. As Elyon was trying to figure out how to get down, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm. As Elyon went to scream, the dryad shushed her.

"Don't panic, Elyon," she reassured the girl, "I'm not going to hurt you."

"What do you- Oh!"

Suddenly, the dryad pulled Elyon into the tree. Her companions noticed and cried out as they tried to grab her. The tree closed, and Elyon found herself sitting on a ledge above a large abyss. Small lights floated around the inside of the tree. As Elyon looked closer, she found they were glowing dandelion seeds.

 _So the tree is hollow?_

She gulped and held onto the small crevices in the bark. Next to her, the dryad sat.

"Sorry about that," she apologized, "I just wanted to talk to you privately. My name is Almoris."

"N-Nice to meet you." Elyon politely nodded. "Might I ask what it is you needed to tell me?"

"Of course! You're such a polite girl, though I'm not surprised. Madam Cloeten expected that of you."

"How did yo-?!"

"Benefit of being the dryad of the Tree of Knowledge. I don't see everything he does, but I he lets me in on interesting things."

"Ah, I see."

"Now, for what I need to tell you." Almoris grew serious as she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "You need to be very, _very_ careful. Get out of here as soon as you can, Elphyne is not safe for you."

The girl felt her stomach drop.

"W-Why?"

"That's a long story, one that you needn't worry about," Almoris replied, "so just focus on getting out."

Elyon furrowed her brow and sighed.

The dryad reached out and patted her arm.

"Well, your friends are waiting," Almoris said, "Prepare yourself."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the ledge beneath the girl gave way. Elyon screamed as she slid upside down on a steep slide, going faster and and faster. Up ahead, she could see a doorway of light. Even as she got closer, she didn't slow down. Shutting her eyes, Elyon waited for whatever was going to happen next.  
She let out another scream as she felt herself fly forward without anything to hold her up.

"El- OOF!"

Suddenly, she collided with someone. They crashed to the ground and rolled a bit before they finally stopped. The other person groaned from under her, and Elyon opened her eyes.

"Joel? Oh, Joel, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!" she cried, checking him for injuries.

"Ugh..." he moaned again, "Get off me!"

"O-Oh, of course!" she nodded, scrambling off him.

She offered a hand and he took it. Once he as on his feet, he dusted off his clothes.

"Are you alright?" Elyon asked again.

"I'm fine, you just caught me off guard," he replied, then looked at her with concern,"Where did the dryad take you?"

"Oh, she told me that we should get out of Elphyne as soon as possible. She said it wasn't safe, but she wouldn't explain why."

"At least for you," Joel said, clearly remembering the brier faeries, "Let's get going."

"Are you sure?" Elyon asked.

"Yeah, we've made progress. Now we know that someone has stolen my magic. Now we have to find out who it was that stole my magic so I can confront them about it."

"Hope is in sight," Elyon said, taking hold of his hand.

"Yeah, and I have you to thank for it." Joel gave her hand a light squeeze.

"Could you two stop flirting for five minutes?" Eress gagged.

The two blushed and pulled their hands apart. Elyon lightly coughed before addressing the faery.

"We found you some help, too," she reminded her with a smile, "I'm glad.

"Yup, guess you get to be graced with my presence a bit longer."

"More like cursed," Joel quietly added.

"Anyway," Elyon said, trying to prevent another argument, "Do you have any idea who the thief could be?"

"If I knew, I would have told you."

Elyon closed her eyes in thought. Suddenly remembering her tarot cards, she reached into her bag and pulled out her deck.

"Oh, a one card tarot reading?" Eress questioned, leaning in.

"Yes!" The girl nodded.

She laid out all the cards on a nearby tree stump. She mixed the cards around, silently asked who stole Joel's magic, and flipped over a card.

"That's the Magician card," Joel observed.

"What does that mean?" Eress asked.

In the regular position, it means creativity and concentration," Elyon explained.

"Try it again," Joel ordered.

The girl nodded and scrambled the cards. She silently asked the question and flipped over a card.

"The Sun," Elyon mused, "and in the regular position."

"That means life, glory, and stuff like that," Joel added, then growled, "but that doesn't make sense. Do it again."

"Only if you say please," Elyon huffed, "people have been doing rude things all day."

"Fine, _please_ do it again."

Elyon nodded and repeated the process once again. She flipped the card and sighed.

"The Fool," Eress stated, "This is weird. We're asking the same question, but we keep getting different cards."

"You noticed that too, huh?" Joel said.

Elyon furrowed her brow. Then she placed the three cards in the order she'd found them. The trio stared at the cards, trying to find some sort of constant. Elyon narrowed her eyes, then gasped.

"They all have flowers!"

"What?" Joel tilted his head.

"Here, look!" She pointed to the cards. "The Magician has white roses, the Sun has sunflowers, and the Fool has snowdrops!"

"How does that help us figure out anything?!" Eress snapped.

"I-I don't know, but it's the only constant..."

"Wait. Flowers... If I remember right, the day before I lost my magic, I picked a strange, wilted flower," Joel told them.

"A wilted flower, you say?" Elyon leaned in.

"It was strange since I'd never seen anything like it before."

"So you think there's a connection?" Eress questioned.

"Dunno, but it's the only flower-related thing I can think of..."

"Then surely it has some significance," Elyon replied.

"Or you messed up the reading," Eress muttered.

Elyon huffed and gathered her cards without responding.

 _It wouldn't kill you to have some faith in me..._

Agreeing that they weren't likely to find out anything else, the trio started their way back to the academy. By the time they got back, the sun was already setting. Elyon shifted her sore feet, looking forward to resting in her bed.

"We have to hurry, or we'll miss curfew," Joel stated.

"We've really cut it close, haven't we?" Elyon sighed.

"Not close enough."

The two wizards jumped and whipped around. There they found a terrifying sight...  
An annoyed Prefect Klaus and Professor Schyuler.

"Staying out overnight without permission is a grievous breach of the rules," Klaus coldly informed them.

"Let's hear your explanation," added the professor.

"Oh, dear..." Elyon murmured.

...

* * *

...

"... Elyon?" Joel called out.

The detention chamber was dark and cold.

"... Yes, Joel?" she replied.

Both wizards were terribly uncomfortable. Yet, Eress had somehow managed to fall asleep.

"Are you alright?"

"... May I ask why we didn't talk to the headmaster or one of the professors?"

"I think we just acted without thinking."

"... Yes," she sighed, "that would explain it."

"Sorry to drag you into all this."

"It's no trouble. After all, we're getting closer and closer to you regaining your magic."

From the other cell, Elyon could hear Joel let out a small sigh. She shifted around in her own cell, trying to get comfortable on the stiff bed.

 _How is an academy allowed to have a dungeon? I would think there would be some sort of rule against it..._

As the girl was staring out the window, she heard the boy lightly cough.

"You know, you never did tell me what happened to you after we left," he reminded her.

"Ah, I suppose I did tell you that, didn't I? Should I tell you now then? It's not all that interesting."

"If it's boring enough, maybe I can sleep down here."

Elyon rolled her eyes before she began.

* * *

 _A young Elyon sat silently in her house. She was all on her own now, a heavy grief weighing down the air. The other villagers, finally overlooking their prejudice over the single mother and her child, reached out and tried to help the young orphan. But it seemed to be too late. Elyon had become an empty shadow of the girl she had once been. The nearby women would come in and make sure she was eating, while the men repaired different parts of the house. Even the children tried to get her to play.  
Yet Elyon remained in her lonely home. She seemed to believe that if she just waited, her mother would come back for her, or her heroic, yet mysterious, father would come sweep her away. Evelyn had told her daughter stories about her father, how he was kind and funny, yet she never gave specific details._

 _One day, as Elyon sat on her back porch, and old woman came hobbling up to her. It was her neighbor, Madam Cloeten._

 _"It's been three weeks," she stated, "it's time you pick up the pieces. Hurry up. Pick out some things and follow me."_

 _The little girl stayed silent and made no sign of movement._

 _"You had better respect your elders," Madam Cloeten snapped, "you're being quite rude."_

 _"... don't wanna..."_

 _"What was that?"_

 _"I don't wanna move!"_

 _"First, that is improper English," the woman sniffed, "it would be 'I don't want to move'. Second, I was not asking what you wanted to do. Your neighbors may be satisfied with letting you just sit there day in and day out, until your bones crumble and your voice is truly gone forever. However, I will not allow you to waste your life just sitting there waiting to die. If you do that, you'll have no right to face your mother after your death."_

 _"Shut up!" Elyon snarled, "Jut leave me alone!"_

 _"Say what you like, but deep down you know I'm right. Right now, you're burdening those around you and causing them pointless worry. Now, I'll say it again:_ _Pick out some things and follow me."_

 _Elyon bit her lip and let her tears drip down her cheek, but the old woman was unfazed. They stayed like that for almost ten minutes, glaring at each other. Elyon was the first to give in. Muttering under her breath, she grabbed some clothes, a toothbrush, and a pot of her glowing flowers, and followed the old woman to her mansion._

* * *

"Madam Cloeten?" Joel repeated, "The old woman with the pretty garden? Didn't you steal her flowers and fruit?"

Elyon nodded.

"Now, I had no idea what would happen once I got there..."

* * *

 _"Straighten your spine! Lift your wrists! No, not your whole arm, you look like a_ _marionette!" Madam Cloeten snapped._

 _"I-I'm trying!" Elyon shot back, growing more and more uncomfortable._

 _It had been three months since Elyon had moved in with the old woman. She went back to her own house on the weekends for a break, but with each visit, her home had become less and less depressing, and more nostalgic._

 _During her stay at the old woman's, Elyon was being taught how to be a 'proper lady'. That included lessons on how to walk with perfect posture, how to ballroom dance, how to hold a deep and intelligent conversation, how to play the piano and so on. It was all far more difficult than it sounded.  
Yet Madam Cloeten never gave up on her, nor did she let the girl quit. It wasn't until many years later that Elyon realized these lessons weren't just meant to teach her how to be a lady; the lessons provided a distraction from her grief._

 _As time went on, Madam Cloeten began bringing the girl along to parties and to salons for conversation. She gave the girl gifts as rewards for her hard work. Elyon believed that it was because all her family in the village had died in the epidemic that took her mother, one had been a girl Elyon's age. They were both lonely, and needed someone to at least somewhat fill the hole left in their hearts._

 _Years passed, and the old woman was growing weaker and weaker. She still maintained her sharp tongue, but there were times where her mind was somewhere else._

 _"Veronica? Where have you been, little sister?" she'd often say, "why are you looking at me like that? It's me, Edith!"_

 _Other times, she thought Elyon was her granddaughter._

 _"Josefina? Where are you going, you silly girl? Come lay down with me!"_

 _Elyon never bothered correcting her. She knew it made the old woman feel better, thinking she was with her real family. However, after she had died, Elyon learned just how much she cared for as well.  
Her will gave everything, her estate, her wealth, all of it, to Elyon. Despite once again losing someone close to her, Elyon handled it fairly well.  
She had been taught to deal with grief gracefully, as a proper lady._

* * *

"So that whole mansion is yours?" Joel asked, surprise evident in his tone.

"Well, yes and no," Elyon answered, "I gave it to the mayor so it could become a new orphanage and school. There were a lot of orphans after that epidemic, and you remember how tiny that other orphanage was. It was too small for those children! And with a new school, and such a huge library, the children are able to achieve a better education!"

"Wow..."

"It was Madam Cloeten's idea, at least the school part. I read it in one of her journals."

Elyon rolled over to look at Joel through the bars of the chamber. She smiled at him.

"I think I can sleep better now. Goodnight, Joel."

He shifted to face her.

"Goodnight, Elyon."

Allowing her eyes to fall shut, the girl curled up and slowly drifted off into sleep.


	13. The Faery Flower

"So, how do you feel after spending the night in the Detention Chamber?" Professor Schuyler looked at the buddies with a raised eyebrow.

 _That was awful! How is the academy allowed to even have these... these dungeons! I never want to go even near that place again!_

Instead of stating her opinion out loud, Elyon politely nodded.

"It was... pleasant," she answered.

"It was _'pleasant_ _'_?" he scoffed, "Then you wouldn't mind spending another night there?"

Elyon shook her head.

"Gods, child. I can't tell if you're looking at me or not; your hair is out of control." The professor sighed. "Perhaps it's interrupting your concentration during class."

The girl's hand twitched. As though sensing her discomfort, Joel stepped forward.

"We're both really sorry," he apologized.

"You do understand that the Headmaster is at the Ministry of Wizardry, don't you? This is hardly the appropriate kind of behavior to adopt in his absence!"

The students bowed their heads and apologized once more.

"Furthermore, Elyon, you are still in the middle of your trial!" Professor took a deep breath before continuing in a calmer voice, "You seem like a logical young woman. Surely you have a good reason to have left the academy?"

Elyon nodded.

"We came across a clue that would help us to get Joel's magic back, so we-"

"No," Joel interrupted, "I dragged her into this mess."

 _What?_

"I came across a lead, so I invited her to come along."

The professor raised an eyebrow before glancing at Elyon. Just as the girl was about to refute her buddy's claim, Joel squeezed her hand.

"I'm telling you the truth," he pushed.

"Fine... So, what lead did you come across?"

"I went to the Tree of Knowledge with the help of a faery."

The professor's expression morphed into a mixture of shock and confusion. As he tried to process the boy's words, Eress dramatically burst forth from Elyon's bag.

"T-That's me!" she cried, heavily blushing.

Professor Schuyler stared at her in silence for what felt like hours. Neither Elyon, nor Eress, nor Joel dared to speak or move. Finally, the professor spoke.

"... Are you... some sort of magical bug?"

Joel barely held back a snort while Elyon cringed. Eress let out a wail as she hung her head.

"Sir, she's a faery," Elyon explained, "and an incredible one at that."

"Oh, my apologies."

 _H-He doesn't really care, does he?_

"I-It's fine," Eress replied, though her eyes were filled with tears.

"Is it true that you lead them to the Tree?" he asked.

"Yes, it was me." Eress nodded.

"He told us that someone took away my magic, but he didn't tell us why." Joel clenched his fist.

"We don't know who did it," Elyon added, "but after using my tarot cards, we've come to the conclusion that flowers are somehow involved. Additionally, not long before Joel lost his magic, he picked up an unusual flower. We believe the events may somehow be related."

The professor nodded. "You've learned a great deal."

"Yes, and now I plan to focus my research on flowers now," the boy stated.

"You broke the rules, but you gained something in return. I will share this information with the headmaster," Professor Schuyler said, "And you're night in the Detention Chamber was sufficient punishment. I believe Headmaster Randolph would agree. However, if you come across leads in the future, don't go running off like a pair of excited children! Tell one of the professors or the headmaster."

"Yes, sir!" Elyon and Joel bowed their heads.

...

* * *

...

Elyon tried to keep her hands from shaking. Apparently, some people had heard that a pair of students had snuck out and spent the night outside of school grounds. It seemed as though so far, no one had made the connection that it had been her and her buddy, but the girl felt as though it would only be a matter of time.  
She racked her brain, trying to come up with an excuse.

 _Let's see... I told Amelia it was because of a... a spellsinging event! Oh, but if I spread that around and there isn't one, then I'll definitely get caught!  
Oh, what do I say?!_

She had been gone two nights. She could always tell Amelia that she'd been sent to the Detention Chamber the second night, but for everyone else, that could make the situation more complicated. Elyon was truly at a loss.

 _Maybe Amelia will help me? I'd ask Eress, but she's asleep again, and I don't think she cares enough about it to help me..._

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Professor Merkulova walked in. Elyon narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. There was still the matter of them once knowing each other. She had learned that the professor had once been her mother's buddy, but the two must have been close if he and Elyon had met. However, that was a matter for another time. Right now, she had to focus on class.

"In our last class, we learned about one card tarot readings," Professor Merkulova began, "Let's review. James, what can we see with a one card tarot reading?"

"Uh..." A boy with black hair furrowed his brow, "Um, the present!"

"Correct." The professor nodded. "Now, today we will learn about the Simple Cross. This is when you place one card on top of another, making a cross shape. The first card represents the present, while the one on top represents the obstacles. Now, I would for each of you to try."

Elyon carefully placed two random cards in the specified positions. Then, she flipped them over. First, she looked at the obstacle card, the World in the reverse position. In this position, the card meant the lack of completion or closure. Elyon gulped.

 _That could relate to June and Joel, or Professor Merkulova, right? There are parts of both stories that I'm missing..._

A sudden strange feeling overcame her. It felt as though she'd last a large portion of a forgotten story.  
Her mother's story.  
Her story.  
A shiver went down her spine.

 _Actually... There are a lot of things that I don't remember, aren't there?  
I remember my mother, my neighbors- no, I don't remember them prior to... to mother's death... Well, maybe bits and pieces, but... No! No, the things that occurred before her passing were _told _to me! I don't actually_ remember _those things happening! All I remember is my mother and our lives together, not anyone else!_

 _Gods! I don't even remember the event of my mother's actual death! My memories of other people don't begin until after some time she passed!  
_

 _W-Why is th-?!_

"Elyon?"

A sudden voice yanked the girl back into reality. Elyon stared up at Professor Merkulova, who wore a worried expression. She realized that at some point, she'd started clutching her head. She stared up at his face.

* * *

 _A young man with messy silver hair and a woman with wild white hair were picking flowers as a snow-haired little girl was staring into the forest._

 _"What was that song about faeries?" she asked asked the man, "the one about the saucer of milk and the tiny jewels?"_

 _The man smiled before clearing his throat._

 _"_ _Beside the slab of granite step  
_ _bluebells bloom 'neath southern sun  
_ _a saucer full of milk thumb deep  
_ _sits waiting for the wee small ones,  
_ _beauteous ones that no one shuns._

 _Feed them fine with sweets and cream  
_ _so they'll not steal your child new born.  
_ _thus gift them tokens of esteem  
_ _and jewels small like dew drops formed  
_ _and perhaps you'll then be transformed."_

 _The little girl grinned as she remembered. She joined in, and together they stated the last stanza._

 _"A night you'll spend, but thence no more,_  
 _beneath the magic mound - in glen_  
 _the Fairy Queen by you adored,_  
 _then back at dawn to the world of men,_  
 _be left to dream of might have been's."_

* * *

A hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Elyon all but leaped into the air as she stared at Elias in surprise. The young Goldstein looked concerned.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

It was at this point she realized that not only were the professor and Elias looking at her with unease, some of her other classmates were beginning to notice her odd behavior as well.  
Elyon lightly coughed as she started to turn pink with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry to have caused you to worry," she apologized, "I was trying to remember the card's meaning without the textbook and I ended up losing my train of thought."

"Oh, no. It's fine," Elias replied, "I was just worried that you still weren't feeling well."

Elyon tilted her head in confusion.

"Amelia stopped by our table yesterday and said you weren't feeling well," the boy explained, "but are you sure you're okay to be here? You look a bit out of it."

 _Amelia Nile you saint!  
Should you ever ask for my help, I will do so without question!_

Elyon smiled sweetly.

"Yes, thank you for asking!"

"N-No problem," Elias lightly coughed, "Oh, don't forget about your other card."

Elyon thanked him for the reminder as he returned to his desk. She sighed, unsure of whether or not she really wanted to see the other card. The obstacle card had already caused her problems. Taking in a breath, she flipped it over.  
She blushed.  
The Lovers.  
In the regular position.

 _... The fulfillment of love...  
_ _With who?!  
Wait, I don't even have time to worry about love! I need to help Joel and Eress. They take priority!_

And yet, when she first saw the card, it had been Joel who'd appeared in her mind's eye. Her heart thumped uncomfortably in her chest.

 _... I really don't have the time to worry about this..._

Taking a deep breath, Elyon returned the cards to the deck and listened to the lesson.  
It felt like days since she last attended class, and with her trial coming up, she had to put as much effort as she could into getting in.

 _Hmm... Maybe I should try to solve Joel and Eress' issues before my trial. That way, even if I don't pass, they won't be too hindered by it._

By the time classes were over, Elyon was feeling tired. She looked forward to sleeping in her own bed.

"Hurry up!" Eress snapped from within her bag, "everyone else is already gone!"

Elyon was quietly apologizing when she suddenly saw Professor Merkulova leaving. She hurried after him, leaving her bag behind.

"Professor?" she cautiously called out.

He turned and tilted his head. The girl took a breath before reciting what she learned from her recovered memory.

"Feed them fine with sweets and cream  
so they'll not steal your child new born.  
thus gift them tokens of esteem  
and jewels small like dew drops formed  
and perhaps you'll then be transformed.

A night you'll spend, but thence no more,  
beneath the magic mound - in glen  
the Fairy Queen by you adored,  
then back at dawn to the world of men,  
be left to dream of might have been's."

His face bloomed into a happy smile. He opened his mouth to speak, but Elyon beat him to it.

"Sir, I don't remember much, but I'm working on it. I know you were my mother's buddy, and I know you two remained close even after she left." She took a deep breath. "After my trial, I'd like to ask you some more questions about my mother and her time at the academy. However, until then, I'd like to focus on helping my friends and passing the trial."

Professor Merkulova looked surprised before once again smiling, though much more softly.

"Fair enough," he said after a few moments, "I think your mother would have made the same choice."

"Thank you, sir."

She hurried back to grab her bag as the professor walked away. Eress was fuming, clearly upset at having been abandoned, even temporarily. The girl apologized as she made her way back to the dorm. She was halfway down the staircase when a voice called out to her.

"Elyon, do you have a minute?"

She turned and found Joel walking towards her. The girl stopped and waited for the boy to catch up. Elyon ignored the grumbling of the faery in her bag, and smiled at the boy.

"Will you come with me?" he asked.

"Where?" Elyon tilted her head.

"My room."

The girl stared at him. Joel's expression didn't change.

 _That's a rather... forward request._

"Creep!" Eress hissed, "What are you trying to do?"

Joel rolled his eyes.

"I have something that I think she needs to see. Don't make it weird."

"It's weird because _you're_ weird! What is it? What do you want to show her?"

"The flower! For the gods' sake, it's the stupid flower!"

"Don't yell at me!"

"Enough!" Elyon snapped, catching the two off guard. "Let's go see the flower."

Wearing a victorious smirk, Joel grabbed her arm and led her toward the boys' dorm. As they walked, he explained how she could sneak in. Elyon sighed.

 _How many times am I going to have to break the rules?_

...

* * *

...

Elyon dusted off her skirt as she climbed out of the dumbwaiter. She raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the boy.

"You could have warned me that it would be dusty."

"I told you it's old and hardly used now. Common sense would say that it's probably not clean." Joel shrugged. "We have to hurry. My room is just a few doors away, but I don't know when the other guys will show up."

Elyon sighed and followed behind. At the very least, Eress had agreed to keep quiet until they reached their destination. The boy opened his door and ushered her in. He glanced around to make sure no one had seen, then followed her. As soon as the door had shut, Eress flew out of the girl's bag. She curled her nose as she looked around.

"This room is as bland as your personality," she stated.

"Eress! Please!"

"I don't want to hear that from a blue roach."

"Roach?!" the faery shrieked, "That's i-!"

"That is enough! Both of you shut up!" The girl glared at the pair. "No more fighting! I only have so much patience! Joel, please just show us the flower."

"Uh, I need to find where I put it," Joel replied, looking taken aback.

As the boy began searching his room, Elyon gave the faery a warning glance. Eress took the hint and hid back in her bag. The girl sat on the bed while she waited. She glanced around. Eress had been right when she'd observed how bare the room was, but she wouldn't call it bland. It was clear that the boy only used it for sleeping, and he didn't feel it necessary to decorate or personalize it. The girl thought it was very like him. However, there was a single characteristic that tied Joel to this room. On the bedside table was a picture frame. Elyon picked it up. The photo depicted a family - Joel's family. A man with black hair and a short beard was bear-hugging a smiling woman, a slightly younger Joel, and a little girl. Elyon tilted her head. The little girl had the same brown hair as the woman. As Elyon looked closer, it became apparent that the little girl had heterochromia like Joel and his mother. The family was smiling. Elyon bit her lip as a seed of envy bloomed in her heart. She felt guilty about her jealousy, and tried to push the dark feeling away. A sudden sigh sounded by the girl's ear, making her jump. Whirling around, she found the boy furrowing his brow as he looked at the picture frame in her hands. She carefully set it back down where she had found it.

"The sent me that a photo a little after I got here," he told her, taking the seat next to her, "it was taken a few weeks before I got my Acceptance Letter."

"You all look so happy."

"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged.

"Who's the little... girl?"

 _I wonder if she's just dressing as a girl?_

" _Julia_." The boy curled his lip. "My monster of a sister."

"She's adorable!"

"No, she's not."

The girl smiled softly as the boy frowned. When she was younger, she had wished she'd had a sibling. She probably wouldn't have been so lonely for all those years.

"Anyway, I found it."

He handed her a case that held a beautiful cream colored, rose-like flower. As the girl looked closer, she could see a faint prism that reminded her of how light reflects of a gem. Something about it made her feel strange.

"It's... beautiful," she murmured, "It shines like a rainbow..."

"Yeah, I thought it was neat looking. Never saw anything like it before," the boy said, "Right after I picked it up, I cast a spell to preserve it. It looks just the same as the day I found it."

"Let me see!" Eress shouted, flying out from Elyon's bag on the floor.

The blue faery gazed at the flower for a few moments.

"Huh..." she muttered, "I feel like I've seen this somewhere before... I just can't remember where..."

"Totally useless," Joel growled.

Elyon frowned at him.

"You shouldn't be so mean," she huffed, "It's really scary to have pieces of your memory missing!"

Joel flinched when she made her statement, and he dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Anyway," Elyon continued, "this flower doesn't seem to be from around here... And if Eress, a faery, has seen it before..."

"Then I must have seen it in Elphyne!" Eress finished, flapping her wings frantically. "And now that I think about it, I think this flower is from the Faeries' Garden. It's the origin of faery power - no, this flower is faery power in and of itself!" she cried, "But if one of these flowers are plucked, it loses its power and becomes an ordinary flower! The owner must be pissed that you took it, you stupid boy."

"It was already picked when I found it, you ugly bug."

"Well, then maybe you're suffering a punishment because you're the one holding onto this flower," Elyon suggested.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Eress murmured, "the owner must be _really_ mad..."

"Mad enough to take away my magic?" Joel asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it..."

"Do you know who the flower belongs to?" the boy questioned, "Maybe they'll give me my magic back if I return it."

"Hmm... I'm not sure..." Eress murmured, closing her eyes as though she were deep in thought. "Ugh... I just can't remember!"

"Useless..." Joel began, "is what I want to say, but are you okay? You've been pushing yourself really hard. Take a rest and we can try again later."

"... Fine! But you're not gonna fool me with this whole 'nice guy' act!"

"Whatever..."

Elyon groaned. She couldn't understand why the pair seemed determined to not get along. Elyon watched as the small faery hid in her bag. The girl chuckled when she heard soft snores. She glanced at Joel as he let out a sigh.

"I can't believe I wanted to give up..." he muttered.

"Aren't you glad you didn't?" Elyon smiled softly.

"Yeah. You sure are something..." When she tilted her head, he continued, "The stuff you said before... they're all coming true."

"You finally understand how capable I am?" she giggled.

"Hey, don't get cocky." He smiled, tapping her head. "But... I really do think you're amazing. You always manage to surprise me. What would I do without you?"

Elyon blushed and smiled. Reaching out, she gaze his hand a gentle squeeze. Her eyes widened when she saw his cheeks turn red.

"... You... Are you doing this on purpose?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

Elyon followed his gaze to their hands.

"O-Oh, sorry..."

 _I didn't mean to make him uncomfortable... I just wanted to express how happy his words made me..._

Joel seemed to grow nervous and almost restless. Elyon tilted her head. She had never seen the boy act in such a way before.

"Should I... not have?" she asked. "Are you not okay with it?"

"With... what?"

As she tilted her head, the girl's bangs moved out of the way of her eyes. Joel wished they hadn't. Her eyes always made him feel... strange. Like she could see all the emotions he was trying to hide.

"Holding your hand..."

"W-Well..." The boy shifted his gaze away.

"Well, what?" she questioned, leaning in to catch his eyes.

 _I want to know if he's alright with it. I don't want to make him uncomfortable..._

"H-Hey! W-What are you doing?" He scooted back. "Don't come near me!"

"But why?" she pushed, feeling confused, "You always come near me..."

She moved towards him, trying to read his expression. He was acting unfairly and oddly. He'd had no problem getting close to her before. She couldn't understand why she wasn't allowed to do the same.

"I'm telling you, don't come any closer." He suddenly glanced at her with an odd glint in his eyes.

 _But I don't understand why he seems to be panicking..._

"But _why_?"

"Knock it off."

At some point, the girl had corner him to his bed's headboard. She brushed her bangs from her eyes as she tried to get a better look at his face.

"Joel, what's wrong?"

When he looked her back in the eyes, Elyon felt her heart skip a beat. Before she could understand how or why, she found herself laying on her back with the boy leaning over her. The serious look in his eyes made her mind go blank.

"I told you to knock it off," he began. "I'm not the June you used to be with."

 _What... does he mean?_

"I'm... glad that we can be close, but... you're not viewing me as a man. You still see me as your old playmate, right? But I'm not. I'm not _June_ anymore. I... I just don't see you as just a childhood friend... I haven't for a long time..."

All Elyon could do was gaze up at him with her face red. She was so confused, she couldn't think of a proper response. Seeming to snap back to his senses, the boy quickly moved away.

"I'm... sorry. Sorry about that. " He stood up and avoided her gaze. "I-I'll walk you home..."

"O...kay..." the girl replied in a quiet voice.

...

* * *

...

The walk to the girls' dorm was reigned by silence. Elyon furrowed her brow as she tried to figure out what the boy had been trying to say in his dorm. Next to her, Joel looked unnerved, and his gaze never left the ground in front of him. After what felt like hours, they reached the dorm's entrance. As she was about to go inside, the boy stopped her.

"You can... You can forget what I said before. We can go back to how it was before," Joel stated.

"... Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Really, it's fine." He smiled at her.

"... Okay..."

Elyon watched as the boy turned and walked away. She furrowed her brow, trying to understand the boy's odd behavior. As she hesitated, the faery flew out of her bag.

"He's so awful!" Eress snapped. "Just because he's comfortable with expressing whatever he's feeling doesn't mean everyone else is!"

"W-What do you mean?" The girl stared at her.

"He's so honest with his feelings, he has no problem with love! But just because he's open about it, he shouldn't push it onto you!"

"L-Love?!" Elyon squeaked. "You m-must be mistaken!"

"No, I'm not! I'm not an _idiot_. You're the one who needs to pay attention!"

 _Maybe she's right..._

Without another word, the girl turned and walked inside. The girl tried to push the faery's words from her mind. She had other things to worry about. Elyon sighed, wondering how her life had become so complicated. When she finally made it back to her room, she was greeted with a smiling Amelia.

"I'm so glad you're back!" she cried. "I heard that a pair of students had spent the night in the Detention Chambers, and I figured it was you."

"I'm sorry I made you worry. I never planned to be away that long."

"It's no problem. At least no one's realized _who_ the students were. If we're lucky, they'll just assume it was Luca and someone he's with. It's happened once or twice before."

The two girls talked for a while as they got ready for bed. Elyon was grateful that the older girl wasn't questioning her about what had happened during her overnight trip; she wasn't sure of what she'd say. As the white haired girl let out a yawn, Amelia smiled and turned out the light. Elyon snuggled up into her familiar bed. She closed her eyes, allowing the exhaustion from the past 24 hours to send her to dreamland.

* * *

 ** _Sweet Dreams_ , by Debbie Guzzi**


	14. The Caterpillar

_"Elyon~"_

 _The girl sat up and looked around. She seemed to be alone in a large, white room. She glanced down and found that instead of a white nightgown, she was wearing a pale blue dress._

 _"Come on, Elyon~"_

 _Elyon stood up and turned towards the voice. It seemed to be coming from a doorway. Light poured from it, preventing the girl from seeing what waited inside._

 _"Come along, dear! I have tea, and cookies~"_

 _She narrowed her eyes. The voice was hauntingly familiar. She just couldn't place it._

 _"Follow me! Escape from all this confusion and worry~"_

 _The girl stumbled through the empty room, moving towards the doorway. Muffled noises echoed around her, but she shook them off. As she neared the doorway, Elyon found steps leading up._

 _"Hurry, Elyon! There's not much time~"_

 _In a daze, the girl started climbing the steps. The muffle noises grew louder and more frantic, but they seemed to come from another world. Elyon ignored them.  
They were not her concern._

* * *

"Elyon!" Amelia shrieked.

The white haired girl gasped as she was tossed to the floor. Looking up, she found her roommate staring at her with widened eyes. Elyon rubbed her eyes.

"W-What..." she began.

"You were about to jump out of the window!" Amelia cried, "W-Were you sleep walking?!"

"Win...dow?" she echoed.

 _No... wasn't there a doorway there?_

But as Elyon looked to where the steps were, she was shocked to find the window. Hugging her knees, she stared at the ground. Amelia closed and locked the window before kneeling down next to her.

"Elyon, have you walked in your sleep before?" she asked gently.

The younger girl shook her head. Amelia rubbed her head, trying to comfort her. After a few moments, she helped the white haired girl to her feet.

"I've locked the window. I'll lock the door to the balcony and our bedroom door. Go lay back down and try to sleep."

 _I almost jumped from the window... I would have really hurt myself... I could have died!_

Stumbling back to her bed, Elyon curled into a ball. Amelia looked at her sadly. She walked over and tucked her in.

"You've been under a lot of stress." Amelia sat down on the mattress. "Everything's locked, so you don't need to worry. You'll be alright."

"... Thanks..."

Elyon closed her eyes as the older girl began petting her hair.

* * *

 _"It was just a bad dream, you goof," Evelyn soothed, brushing through her daughters hair._

 _"Sorry..." Elyon sniffled and clutched her toy bear closer._

 _"Don't apologize for being scared, silly. Just know that you don't need to be scared! I'll always be here to protect you."_

* * *

Elyon squeezed her eyes shut.  
She didn't want her friend to see her tears.

...

* * *

...

Elyon sat on one of the benches, her face buried in her hands. Eress remained unusally quiet as she watched the girl. The faery had been sick with worry after the previous night's events, but the look on the girl's face had left her at a loss for words.

 _That voice... I_ know _I've heard it before! Why can't I remember who it is?!_

She began to shake. That vision of the doorway hadn't felt like a dream. The voice had been trying to make her jump from her window. It was a terrifying realization.  
The girl bit her lip. The gap in her memories was concerning her more and more as time went on.

"What is he doing?" Eress suddenly snapped.

Elyon lifted her head. She followed Eress's gaze and found a young man crouching on the ground. His hair flowed in long white strands, and his skin was as white as porcelain. The girl stood up and moved closer.

"Are you alright?" she called.

When he turned to look at her, Elyon gasped. His eyes were blood red. He gave no response, but stood up. Eress began to fidget in the girl's bag, and hissed for them to leave.  
Elyon stayed in place. The boy walked towards her, his gaze blank and unnerving. He didn't stop until his toes were nearly touching hers.

"L-Let's get out of here!" Eress whispered.

"Faery." The boy stated.

Elyon flinched for a moment. Then, she stood tall.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

The boy said nothing for a moment. Then, without warning, he reached out and brushed the girl's bangs from her face. Elyon stared at him with wide eyes, too caught off guard to react. His blood red eyes stared into her crystal blue ones. They stood in silence for what felt like hours.

"... Flower."

"... The faery flower?" Elyon looked into his eyes, trying to see what he was thinking.

Without another word, the boy released her hair, allowing it to go back to covering her eyes. He stepped back and took hold of her hand.

"W-What are you-"

"Pure maiden. You are, aren't you?"

" _Leave_!" Eress hissed.

Elyon ignored her.

"I... I believe so," the girl replied.

Once she'd given her answer, the mysterious boy lifted her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. Elyon felt her face turn red. She pulled her hand back and stared at him.

"W-What are you doing?" she squeaked.

"Was that wrong to do?" he asked.

Elyon gulped when she saw how emotionless his eyes were.

"W-Well, it's a bit forward..." she explained weakly.

"Forward?"

"That sort of thing is something you do once you know the person. We haven't even introduced ourselves!" Elyon gave a light cough as she tried to regain her composure. "My name is Elyon Warvant. I'm a new student at the Academy." She waited for him to tell her is name, but when he remained silent, she prompted him. "A-And your name?"

"Name... Yes. I am Leon."

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you," the girl greeted him, thrown off by his odd behavior.

"Why is it a pleasure?"

" _Please_ , let's just leave! He's a total weirdo!" Eress whispered.

" _Patience_ ," Elyon hissed back. She directed her attention back to the boy. "It's always a pleasure to make a new acquaintance."

"Why?"

 _Eress is right about him being odd, but I won't just leave him. He seems to genuinely not understand._

"Well, an acquaintance can become a friend, and a friend will be there for you when you're in trouble or when you feel sad. Friends are people you care about, and people who care about you in return."

"I don't have any friends or acquaintances."

Elyon gazed at him. He was very beautiful, but he seemed void of emotion. It was extremely unnerving.  
Nevertheless, she gave him a kind smile.

"Maybe that was true before," she began, "but not now. You and I are acquaintances, and I'm certain the two of us can become friends. If that's what you'd like."

He stared at her in silence for a few moments. Without a word, he held out his hand. In it was a light green caterpillar. Elyon held out her hand, and the boy aloowed the insect to crawl into her palm. The girl giggled as it moved around her hand. She looked up at the boy.

 _This must be what he was looking at earlier..._

"It's so cute! I wonder what it will turn into? It must be some sort of moth or butterfly. Hmm... I'll check the library later."

The boy watched in silence.

"I'll tell you once I find out," she told him. "You probably saved this little guy from being stepped on or eaten."

"I must go." He abruptly turned and walked away.

Elyon stared after him in shock. When he was out of sight, Eress flew out of her bag, seething in anger.

"What the hell?! Why did we stick around for so long?!" she snapped.

"He was a bit... odd, but I don't think Leon is a bad person."

"He's not like a person at all! Gah! Just him being nearby gets me all agitated!"

"Maybe you knew him before?" the girl suggested.

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, aren't you going to be late for class?"

Elyon tilted her head. Just before she could speak, however, the warning bell for class rang. The girl gasped and started running to class, the faery shouting behind her.

...

* * *

...

Elyon managed to make it to her seat before the bell could ring. As she sat at her desk trying to catch her breath, she suddenly realized the other students were watching her. She gulped.

 _Did they figure out Joel and I were the ones in the Detention Chamber?!_

"Her buddy lost his magic, didn't he?" whispered one of the girls.

Elyon stiffened in shock.

"He went from a prodigy to a nobody in one fell swoop!" a boy whispered, "You think he'll have to drop out?"

"Well, if he can't use his magic, he can't stay at an academy that _teaches_ magic, can he?" another boy replied.

Elyon felt her hands beginning to tremble. She placed them on her lap to hide them. She told herself that they were just rumors - as long as she didn't confirm their suspicions, they would forget about it.

"Isn't it because that girl became his buddy?"

The girl flinched at that whispered statement.

"No way!"

"Yeah, he could use his magic before she came to the Academy."

"Well, isn't she the reason her mother dropped out?"

"Ha! So she manages to take out every talented wizard around her?"

"She can't control her own magic. You think it's out of jealousy?"

"What an awful person!"

At some point, Elyon had placed her head on the desk and pressed her hands over her ears. She bit her lip, trying to keep her tears at bay.

 _It's not my fault! It's not me! I didn't do anything!_

Suddenly, someone sat on the desk next to her. Lifting her head, Elyon found Luca looking around the classroom with a cool look in his eyes.

"My, my, what a racket. Everyone's so noisy in class today," he casually stated, though his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"All of you should be ashamed for believing in rumors like that," Elias added, walking into the room.

"... You alright?" Yukiya quietly asked her as he stood next to her desk. "Just ignore them. The rumors are wrong."

The gossiping students hung their heads, looking as though they'd been punished. The room quickly grew quiet.

"There we go!" Luca grinned. "That's so much better!"

The green haired boy reached out and ruffled the girl's white hair. As he did, Elias walked over.

"Don't listen to them. They're acting like fools."

 _They... stood up for me... No one's done that for me before!_

Elyon suddenly let out a choked sob. The three boys jumped and looked at her in concern.

"A-Are you alright?" Elias asked, looking worried.

"H-Hey, don't cry now. I can't stand when girls cry," Luca added.

Yukiya just looked at her in worried silence.

"Y-You guys s-s-spoke up for me," she sniffled, trying to hold back tears. "N-No one's ever done that f-for me!"

The trio stared at her in surprised silence. After a moment, Elias handed her his handkerchief. She took it and tried to clean up her face.

"Thank you..." she murmured, "I'll return this once I clean it."

"Don't... Don't worry about it. I just hate it when people talk behind another's back."

"Just admit that you were worried about her," Luca snickered as he stood up.

"S-Shut up!"

Elyon giggled at the boy's argument. Yukiya silently ruffled the hair on her head.

"And now you're smiling again," he said quietly, looking relieved.

"You guys are so nice..." she explained.

"Nah." Luca shook his head. "But if a damsel in distress needs me, I'm obligated to help."

"If you need us, say the word," Yukiya added.

"... Thank you so much..."

 _Oh, I might really cry this time!_

Suddenly, the bell rang. Like clockwork, Luca hurried out of the classroom, leaving Elias shouting after him. Elyon giggled as the students took their seats. Just a moment later, Prefect Klaus walked in. He announced that he would teaching, as the headmaster was away on business with the Ministry of Wizardry. Elyon bit her lip. She wished it were someone else who'd taken over.

"Today we will continue our lessons on the ecology of magical beasts," the prefect announced, looking through his notes. "Ah, the previous lesson was on faeries, if I'm not mistaken. Today, we will learn about another of the Four Spirits: the Gnome."

 _Well, I_ was _excited about this class... Not anymore..._

From her bag, Elyon heard Eress groan, clearly thinking about their encounter with the small spirits. Elyon let out a sigh, only to be heard by the prefect.

"Is my class that boring?" he questioned, glaring at her.

"N-No, sir!" she squeaked, "My apologies!"

"Then be quiet," he snapped. "Now listen. Gnomes hold power over earth magic. It's said that gnomes are very crafty, but what is there specialty?"

 _I should show him that I'm paying attention._

Elyon raised her hand. Klaus glanced at her coolly and nodded for her to answer.

"I-It's smithing."

"... Correct. Next time, answer with more confidence."

"Yes, sir!"

The prefect gave her an approving nod before he continued with the lesson.

"Gnomes naturally hate humans and reject association with other faeries. They are unsociable and have created societies deep underground. However, they seem to hold a level of respect when they recognize a fae of royal blood. They are hardworking and proficient with money, and therefore make good tradesmen. If there is some form of money involved, they will tolerate dealing with humans. That is how some people come to possess Gnomish-crafted weapons."

"Greedy money-grubbers!" Eress hissed.

Elyon flinched, but didn't respond. She didn't want to be scolded again.

...

* * *

...

After class, Elyon walked into the bathroom. She splashed some water over her face. The lack of sleep was catching up to her. The girl was planning to head to the dorm to take a nap, when a sudden voice stopped her.

"Elyon Warvant! What a surprise!" A girl called.

Elyon turned and found a trio of girls standing by the entrance to the restroom. The one who'd spoken had long blonde hair, and she had a brunette on her left and blue haired girl to her right. The white haired girl gave them a nervous smile.

"Hello," she greeted them.

The girl who'd spoken wore a cool smile as she sauntered towards her.

"We were actually just talking about you." Her smile grew colder as Elyon looked confused. "You must have heard the rumors."

"O-Oh... I, um, I have." She took a step back as the blonde girl walked closer.

"Is it true?" she asked. "Is his magic gone?"

Elyon flinched and backed away further.

"I-It's not gone..."

"Did you take it, _Elyon_? Did you take away his magic?"

"N-No!"

 _Why is she acting like this? I don't get it!_

"Elyon _Warvant_. Your mom was really powerful, wasn't she? She had so much potential from what I hear. People said she could have easily become royal wizard, until she had _you_ ," the brunette sighed mockingly. "What a waste..."

Elyon flinched and stared at the ground. She bit her lip.

"Not that anyone cares about your mom anymore, or how you stole her future." The blonde shrugged. "We're more concerned about poor Joel. Did you steal his future away, too?"

"I-I didn't do a-anything!"

The girls smiled.

"I know. I know you didn't, because you _can't_. To do something like that, you need a lot of power and control. I hear you can't even manage a simple levitation spell. Is that right?"

Elyon hugged herself.

 _Why are they being so mean?!_

"Aw, look! You're gonna make her cry!" the pink haired girl laughed.

"At least you don't need to worry about her taking away _your_ magic. That only seems to happen to people close to her." The brunette smirked.

The blonde slammed her hand against the wall by Elyon's head, keeping her from running off.

"You're a lot more pathetic than I was expecting. You won't even look me in the eyes." When Elyon gave no response, the blonde leaned in and whispered, "You're a damn coward."

"W... Why..." Elyon tried to hold back her tears.

" _Why_? Having one cursed student is bad enough. But not even Yukiya has caused people to lose their magic, their _future_. You're a _problem_. You'd better make sure no one else is ruined by you, or el-"

"Three against one? Pretty unfair odds, don't you think, Amity?" a familiar voice cooed.

The girls turned and found Summer, her arms crossed as she leaned against the doorway. The blonde, Amity, stared at her for a moment. Then her face twisted in rage. However before she could say a word, Summer's eyes began to glow. All the light in the room was suddenly swallowed, leaving all four in complete darkness. The burnette and pink haired girl whimpered and drew closer to one another. Elyon felt Amity move away quickly.

"Knock it off!" the blonde snarled, though her voice was tinged with fear.

"Something's touching me!" cried one of the girls. The other let out a screech.

In the darkness, Elyon could make out a small, fluttering shape.

 _Eress?!_

Suddenly, light from the doorway lit up a small path. The three girls hurried out of the restroom. Elyon felt the faery hurry back into her bag, just as the rest of the light returned. The room was empty, save for Summer and Elyon. The white haired girl spoke quietly.

"... Thank yo-"

"She's right."

Elyon drew back and stared at the violet haired girl. Summer looked at her coldly.

"I don't know if you are the actual cause, but the time fits, doesn't it?"

Elyon stood silently staring at the ground. Summer let out an annoyed sigh.

"You're pretty pathetic," the girl continued. "You're a coward."

Elyon flinched and grabbed the end of her skirt.

 _I... thought she was nice... Why is everyone like this?_

"I heard that the little Goldstein, Luca, and good ol' cursed Yukiya came to your rescue. You didn't even _try_ to stand up for yourself, did you?"

Elyon took in a shaky breath. She did _not_ want to cry. In a few long strides, Summer stood before her. She brushed back her long violet hair and glared at the younger girl.

"Even now, you're trying to hide. Really? You have long hair so you can hide from people, so you don't have to face them. It doesn't have anything to do with you being short, does it?"

 _Leave me alone... Just leave me alone!_

"Answer me!" Summer barked.

Elyon gave a timid nod. The older let out a disgusted snort.

"I can't believe I ever considered you competition... You're just some little girl made from glass. The slightest bit of hostility just shatters you, doesn't it? You're some weakling who needs to be protected by everyone... That's what makes you pathetic."

 _... What's wrong with being scared? Being scared... that doesn't make me a weakling... I... I don't need to be protected... I just... I'm used to being looked down upon..._

After a few moments, Summer let out a short hiss and backed away.

"Whatever. Be a coward, if that's what you want. It's none of my business."

Elyon stared at the ground, listening to the other girl walk away. It felt like hours before the footsteps faded. Completely on her own, she slid down the wall and sat on the floor. Eress flew out of her bag.

"What's wrong with those girls?! I pulled out some of their hair, but I wish I'd gotten their eyes! Argh! What a bunch of bit-"

"It's fine."

Eress stared at her in shock.

"How can you say that?! It's not fine!"

"It's nothing new. Kids in my village used to pick on me. They made fun of my hair, of how easily I got burned... They made fun of me because I don't know who my father is..." She gave the faery a soft smile. "I'm used to it."

Eress seemed to be left speechless. Elyon slowly climbed to her feet.

"Is the caterpillar alright?"

"Ugh, yeah. It's so gross. I don't know why you kept it." The faery took it from the bag with a disgusted look on her face.

"... It's cute." Elyon smiled as she took the insect from her. "And I really do want to know what the little guy will turn into."

Eress gagged as she fluttered back into her bag. Elyon started towards the door, then stopped.

"Eress... Please don't tell Joel about all this. He's under enough stress as it is."

"But-"

" _Please_."

"... F-Fine. But if this continues..."

"Thank you..."

Placing the caterpillar on her uniform's lapel, she walked out into the hall. She ignored the stares of the other students. She ignored the stinging in her eyes. She ignored the shame she felt over her cowardice. She moved through the halls, focusing on the path to the library. The girl was so intent on getting to the library, she nearly ran into someone. Just barely stopping time, she quickly apologized.

"It's fine," Professor Merkulova replied, "I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going either. I'm a little more concerned about the bug you've got on your jacket."

Elyon carefully picked up the caterpillar with a smile.

"I was going to find a book to see if I can figure what it'll become."

"I think I have a book on butterflies and moths in my office. You can borrow it if you like."

"If it's not too much trouble, that would be very helpful."

The professor smiled and started towards his office. Elyon followed a few steps behind.

When they reached the office, the professor immediately walked to one of his bookshelves. Elyon sat down in one of the seats by the desk. After a few moments, he returned with a faded green book with the image of a butterfly on the cover. As he handed it to her, the professor seemed to remember something. He quickly searched through a few boxes and grinned when he found an old journal.

"Here, it's your mother's," he explained, "it's from when she was here at the academy. She left it here when she went home, and she told me I could throw it away, but I thought she might... she might want it later..." He looked sadly at the journal before handing it to her. "It's locked, and I think she kept the key. I never tried to open it... Evelyn would have beaten me senseless." The professor sighed. "I know you want to wait to focus on your mother, but I thought you should have this for whenever you're ready."

"... Thank you..." Elyon gave him a soft smile.

She stood up, clutching the two books to her chest. She thanked the professor and walked out of the dorm into the hall.

 _I... I don't know if I want to wait to find out about my mother... But... I need to focus on my friends..._

When she thought of Joel, she remembered what had happened in his room. It seemed like it was so long ago. She felt her cheeks turn pink when she remembered how close their faces had gotten. Elyon shook her head, trying to forget her heart's fluttering. She made her way down the halls, planning on going straight back to her dorm.

"Elyon!"

The girl whipped her head around and found Joel hurrying towards her. He seemed agitated.

"I didn't see you this morning, or after class. Are you alight?"

"I... Yes, I'm fine." She forced a smile. "I was talking to someone this morning, and they... gave me a caterpillar." She gestured to the insect that was making its way across one of her books. "After class, I was on my way to the library. I wanted a book to identify what kind of insect it is, but I ran into Professor Merkulova, and he let me barrow a book on butterflies and moths. I was on my way to the dorms when you stopped me."

"O-Okay. I didn't need a report or anything." He gave her an odd look.

"Hey isn't that her?" whispered on of the students around them.

"Yeah, the cursed buddy," another replied.

"She looks the part. Her hair makes her look crazy!"

 _Ignore them, ignore them, ignore them!_

"I... think I'm going to head back. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"I'll walk you back."

Elyon tried to ignore the eyes focusing on them. She smiled.

"S-Sure."

He seemed to feel relieved when she agreed. Joel quickly led her from through the hall toward her dorm. There walk was silent, lacking the comfortable feeling it usually held. The boy seemed to notice something was on her mind, and he realized it was something she wouldn't tell him if he asked. He furrowed his brow, unsure of how to get her to talk. It didn't take them long to reach the girls' dorm. As the girl quietly bid him farewell, Joel grabbed her arm.

"You... You can talk to me... you know that, right?"

"I... I know." The smile she gave him was small but genuine. "Thank you."

He held her arm and looked into her face for a few moments. Elyon was grateful that her bangs his her eyes. She couldn't bear to meet his gaze. He sighed and let go of her arm.

"When you're feeling better, let me know."

"I will. Thank you for walking me back."

This time, he let her go without stopping her. He waited till she reached the door before turning and walking away. Elyon softly smiled and walked up to her room. When she entered, she found it empty. Elyon opened her bag and Eress flew out. She stretched her wings, fluttering about. The girl giggled at the sight as she took a seat at her desk. After placing the caterpillar in an empty jar, she opened the butterfly book the professor had given her. She flipped through until she found the green caterpillars. From there, she searched through the images until she found a match. Behind the girl, Eress was chattering and flying about the room. It took a while, but Elyon finally found an image of the caterpillar before her.

"Ah, so you're a luna moth," she said to the small impact. "That's my favorite type of moth, you know."

"Moths are gross!" Eress gagged, glaring at the caterpillar in the jar.

"My mother always said that moths are butterflies in fuzzy sweaters."

When Eress didn't reply, Elyon looked back at her. She tilted her head as the faery furrowed her brow in thought.

"Weird... I feel like I've heard that before..."

"It's not too uncommon of an explanation. My mother said her aunt had used it before."

"Whatever. Moths are still super gross."

Elyon giggled as she stood up.

"You're silly. I need to go gather some food for our little friend here. I shouldn't be too long. Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just go," the faery huffed.

Elyon smiled and walked out of the door. She quietly walked to the greenhouse. There didn't seem to be anyone else inside. The girl didn't mind. She quietly hummed as she looked around for the moonflower and hornbeam plants. When she finally found the moonflower plant, she reached up to pluck some of the leaves.

"Faery Alert! Faery Alert!"

Elyon let out a small scream as she jumped away from the bush. She stared in silent shock as a small stuffed animal marched out. He stared up at her.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked.

"Master sent me to find faeries!" the living toy announced.

"Your master?" Elyon questioned.

"Randy!" he cheered, "And I'm Taffy!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Taffy. My name is Elyon. I've actually met Randy. He seems very kind."

"He is!" Taffy boasted.

"Now, why were you shouting about a faery earlier?"

 _Maybe I've picked up some pixie dust because of all the time I've spent with Eress... Oh, I hope Taffy and Randy don't find out about her!"_

"I have a faery detector! My master developed it!"

"Oh, how neat!" She smiled. "Well, I need to get going. Good luck with your search!"

"Thanks!" Taffy grinned at her before waddling off.

Elyon let out a sigh of belief. The living stuffed animal, although impressive, did not seem too intelligent. She reached up and plucked some leaves and a twig. The girl quickly headed back to her dorm. Amelia had still not returned. Eress snapped at her for taking so long, but Elyon only smiled in reply. She grabbed some paper towel and placed the plant materials in with the caterpillar. As the small insect squirmed towards the leaves, she poked some holes in the paper towel and laid it across the top of the jar, and stuck the paper in place with a rubber band. She smiled as she watched the caterpillar eat.

"Hm... I think I'll name you... Gibbous. Gib for short."

"Why that?" Eress fluttered closer.

"Well, it's a Luna Moth. Luna means moon, and Gibbous is one of the moon's faces. Crescent doesn't seem to suit the little guy."

Eress glared at the caterpillar. Then, the faery directed her gaze toward the journal.

"What's that?"

"My mother's journal from her time at the academy. She used to write a lot. She tried to write at least one sentence everyday."

"Are you gonna open it?"

Elyon shook her head.

"I don't have the key. I'll find a way to open it some other time."

"If you say so..."

Elyon rolled her eyes at the faery's tone. Grabbing her mother's journal, she crawled into her bed. She knew she should at least change, but the girl was too tired to bother. Curling up around the book, she closed her eyes. As she started to drift off, she felt Eress curl up beside her.

* * *

 **Whoops! Thanks, Fonix! I realized I didn't cite the author of the faery poem from the last chapter!**

 **We're on day 8 of Elyon's trial!**


	15. Stand Your Ground

_A young Elyon went walking through the forest. Neither her friend nor her mother was with her. The little girl felt like being alone. She hummed quietly as she made her way through the trees, watching as the animals moved about. She stopped only when she saw a large lake. She sat down at its bank and gazed at the moon's reflection in the water. As she quietly watched the water, she heard something approach. She lifted her head. A wolf, too large to be a normal wolf, had walked into the clearing by the lake. It stared at her for a moment, and she at it. The little girl was surprised to find she felt no fear at the beast's presence, and she quietly watched as it drank from the water.  
When the wolf finished, it slowly moved towards her. Elyon could feel the beast's magic as it approached, but she still was not afraid. The beast lowered its head and the little girl carefully rested her small hand on its nose. They stayed like that for but a moment before the wolf stood up and crept back into the forest from which it came.  
After a few moments, Elyon stood up herself and made her way back home._

* * *

Touching her forehead, Elyon sat up from bed. She furrowed her brow.

 _I wonder why all my lost memories are returning like this?_

Amelia gave her a worried look as she buttoned up her shirt. She sat on the bed, and as she brushed her hair, she spoke.

"You're almost done with your trial, right? Today is day nine," the older girl chirped.

"Oh... Ah! It is!" Elyon's eyes widened. "So much has happened, I didn't even realize how close my trial is!"

"When you pass, we should go and celebrate."

"'When'?"

"You'll pass with no problem! Just believe in yourself a bit. You received the Acceptance Letter for a reason!"

Elyon suddenly reached out and hugged her friend. Amelia seemed surprised at first, but she soon returned the hug. After a moment, she separated herself from the girl and smiled.

"Go get ready for school," she ordered, "we don't want to be late."

"Okay." the girl climbed out of bed then stopped. "Um, if it's not too much trouble... would you mind braiding my hair?"

"Sure!" The older girl's grin seemed to grow brighter.

Elyon softly smiled as she grabbed her uniform.

...

* * *

...

Joel tried to look nonchalant as he walked towards the girls dorm. In truth, he was feeling rather anxious about meeting up with his buddy. He had heard the rumors going around about the two of them, and she'd seemed agitated the day before.

 _She's always seemed delicate, even when she put on a brave face..._

Joel lifted his head and found Elyon walking out of the dorm. He approached her, but stopped. She had an odd air about her, one that made it hard for anyone to approach. He stood for a moment, feeling lost. The girl caught sight of him, smiled and waved, and then continued walking. He wanted to follow her and check on how she was feeling, but she had disappeared before he even had the chance. Joel sighed and after a few moments, he began walking to class. He passed by other students, doing his best to ignore their pointed stares. Their whispers annoyed him, but it wouldn't do him any good if he told them to knock it off. The boy kept his face as calm as ever. Letting his feelings show would only make the situation worse.

He let out a sigh of relief when he reached his classroom. The room made him feel safer, as though it shielded him from the rumors outside. The boy sat down at his seat and pulled out his notes. As he started reading over them, one of his classmates walked over. Clarence, a boy with green hair, spoke hesitantly.

"Hey, Crawford..." he began, "I don't want to sound rude, but... is it true? Is your magic gone?"

Joel said nothing as he looked for his pen. He could hear the boy gulp.

"S-So it is? Oh, man... Do you know what happened? Was it actually yo-!"

"My magic is _not_ gone," Joel hissed, "and Elyon has _nothing_ to do with what happened!"

The boy flinched.

"S-Sorry, man. I wasn't trying to accuse her, I just-"

"Just what?" He glared at the boy.

"... N-Never mind..." Clarence sheepishly backed off and scurried back to his desk.

Joel could feel his classmate's eyes. He clenched his teeth focused on his notes. It would be a waste of energy to just think about them.

 _This is a lot for me, so how is Elyon holding up?_

...

* * *

...

Walking along the path, Elyon made as much distance as she could between herself and the other students. When they seemed to be on their own, Eress fluttered out of her bag.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking worried.

"... Yeah... I just feel overwhelmed." Elyon took a deep breath. "I only recently found out that I have a large part of my memory missing, I'm trying to help someone who I _thought_ was a stranger but was actually my closest friend as a child to find their magic, I've found out faeries are real and I'm trying to help one recover her memory, oh, meanwhile my sleep is disturbed by memories I thought I'd lost, _and_ there seems to some mystery around my mother's activities from when she attended the academy." She raised her head and looked at the faery. "Am I forgetting anything?"

"Um, Professor Merkulova, Leon, and the woman in your dream who tried to make you jump out of your window."

"Of course! Of course..." Elyon rubbed. "One of my professor's seems to have unusually close to my mother, an odd boy seems to know about the faery flower, and someone may be trying to kill me for some reason." Elyon slumped down on a nearby bench. "When did my life get so... complicated?"

"Probably when you got the Acceptance Letter. Things usually get complicated around the time you receive it," mused a new voice.

Elyon gasped and jumped to her feet. Leaning over the back of the bench was a girl with golden hair. She smiled awkwardly as she straightened her posture.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I was using a spell to hide my presence so I could find my familiar, and... um..."

"O-Oh, it's fine, um-"

" _She heard everything_!" Eress hissed.

Elyon felt herself go pale. She gripped the end of her skirt as she stared at the girl. The girl tilted her head.

"Are you... Are you okay?"

"... Did you hear what I was saying?" Elyon quietly asked.

"I..." The girl's eyes dropped to the ground. "I... did. I'm sorry. I didn't hear everything, and I swear I won't tell anyone."

" _Don't trust her_! _You don't_ know _her_!"

"My name is Alyssandria, but people usually just call me Alys," the girl stated, "I swear on my honor that I won't tell a soul whatever I heard." She glanced at the faery." Or saw."

Elyon bit her lip.

"Actually, let me make an amendment to that. I swear on my honor that I won't tell a soul what I saw or heard unless I honestly believe it will help you, because it sounds like you're dealing with... a lot."

Both Elyon and Eress were caught off guard by the girl's declaration, even more so when Alys reached out and took the white haired girl's hand. She smiled sweetly.

"Would you like to make a magic contract to make sure?" she offered.

"No... No, that's not necessary." Elyon stared the girl in the eyes for a moment. "I... trust you. I'm not completely sure why, but... I do."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. I'll be sure to not let you down. I - Toulouse!" Alys's amethyst eyes focused on something in distance.

Elyon and Eress jumped at the girl's sudden shout.

"Sorry! I just saw my familiar. I have to run before he escapes again. Good luck!"

The white haired girl had no time to speak before Alys ran off. Elyon stared after her for a few moments.

"Hey!"

Elyon let out a short shriek when the faery flew in front of her face. Eress frowned at her.

"So we're just trusting strangers now, are we?"

"I think she's trustworthy..."

"Based on your four minute conversation?"

"... She _felt_ trustworthy... it's like... I don't know, she reminded me of someone. It's hard to explain, but I don't think she'll say anything.

" 'Unless I honestly believe it will help you'. That's what she said."

"And I believe her."

Eress let out a growl as she fluttered her wings in frustration. Elyon patiently waited for her friend to calm down. When she finally did, Elyon gave her a soft smile.

"I swear, if it turns out I am wrong to trust her, I'll make sure you're kept out of harm's way."

"Ugh, that's not- Gah! Fine! Have it your way!" Eress flew back into the bag. "I'll go along with this for now, but if you're wrong, I'm gonna hunt her down and reeeaally hurt her!"

"Alright, that sounds fair. I don't think I could take it if you turned on me!" Elyon laughed. "Let's get going. Class is starting soon."

Elyon grabbed her bag and hurried down the path. From her pocket, she could hear Eress mumbling. When the girl questioned her about it, the faery sighed.

"You know, you might have an easier time dealing with all this if you get those bullies off your case."

"I don't want to risk getting into a fight. I'm still in my trial period."

"You don't have to _fight_ if you don't want to, but you really should stand up for yourself. At least _try_ to."

Elyon gave no response as she made her way to her classroom. She knew her friend was right, but that didn't make it any easier. She was used to ducking her head and letting things slide off her back like water. It was simply the easiest course of action.

 _But... maybe it's not the best..._

Elyon furrowed her brow as she walked into her classroom. She was deep in thought, and didn't notice the stares and whispers of her classmates, until one spoke up.

"So, how _do_ you take away someone's magic?" a girl asked her friend, eyeing Elyon.

"Stop!" her friend whispered, "Don't piss her off!"

 _Should I say something now? Or... do I wait until they say something to me directly? What do I even say if they_ do _say something to my face?_

She squeezed the fabric of her skirt. She was not a confrontational person.

"Do you think it's a curse?" the girl continued, "Maybe she's just like Yukiya. Or maybe she writes down the names in a book or something? Hey, does she carry around a book?"

 _She's... She's actually more annoying than she is hurtful..._

"Or maybe she takes a piece of their hair! Ew, how creepy would that be?"

 _... Maybe I should say something..._

Elyon took a deep breath and walked up to the girl.

 _What would Eress say?_

"E-Excuse me?" Elyon began.

"What?" The girl frowned at her.

 _Maybe not the most Eress-like approach, but..._

"Would you please stop? You're being terribly rude - not just to me, but also to Yukiya. There's absolutely no reason for it."

Their classmates went silent and watched them intently. The girl curled her lip.

"What's your problem? I was just joking."

Elyon clenched the fabric of her skirt as she tried to hide her trembling.

"W-Well, your jokes are hurtful, s-so -"

"You need to lighten up. I mean, really? I've hurt your feelings? What are you, six?"

A few of the other students snickered. Elyon dropped her gaze.

"T-There's no reason to-"

"Yeah, you said that already. Gods, you're annoying. You're better off whimpering in the corner like usual.

" _Why I oughta-!_ " Eress hissed.

It took all of Elyon's courage to keep standing there, in the middle of all her classmates. She wanted to run, to hide herself away from their judging eyes, but she couldn't. She couldn't just give in now, not after she used her courage to confront the girl. All Elyon had to do was stand her ground. All she had to do was not run away.

The girl's eyes glinted, as though she knew she'd won. She took a step forward, and Elyon nearly stepped back.

"What's going on here?" barked a new voice.

Both girls jumped apart and stared at the speaker. A young woman with dark hair was standing there. Her glare scanned over the room before focusing on the pair. She glanced from one girl to the other before speaking.

"Is there an issue that needs to be addressed?" she asked.

"N-No, of course not, Prefect Kamali!" The girl squeaked. "We were just joking around!"

 _Liar..._

Elyon bit her trembling lip as she waited for the prefect to speak. The prefect seemed to watch her for a few moments.

"Take your seats. The bell is about to ring."

The students all scrambled to their seats and sheepishly waited for Kamali to speak.

"I'm filling in for Professor Manuel while she and the Headmaster are visiting the Ministry. She apologizes for not being here when you start the new unit on magic body modifications." The prefect paused to roll up her sleeves, revealing bright green tattoos on her arms. When the class gasped, she smiled. "I thought I might be a bit more qualified to teach this lesson than some of my fellow prefects. Tattoos such as mine are actually deconstructed magic circles tattooed into a wizard's skin with enchanted ink. In the old days, when dragons still roamed freely across the earth, powerful wizards would use their blood as ink. Some theorize that this is at least part of why dragons have gone extinct." The prefect paused as some students began scribbling down notes. "The different symbols created influence different aspects of a wizard's magic abilities. Lunar symbols help with water magic, solar abilities help with fire magic. Can someone tell me what stellar symbols help? How about you?" She gestured towards the girl who had been making fun of Elyon.

"O-Oh, it's-"

"Stand up please." The prefect ordered.

The girl did as she was told. "The answer is, um, obviously... healing magic."

"Not obvious enough, apparently." The girl sat down, looking embarrassed at the prefect's comment. "It was a trick question. There are no such thing as stellar symbols." Kamali glanced at the girl. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. We all make mistakes."

The girl flinched and and glanced at Elyon. Elyon gulped.

 _Did she do that for me?_

"I have a symbol here on my wrist," the prefect stated, and used her wand to draw it in the air. "Can anyone tell me what this symbol is from? It's not a trick question this time."

Most of the students were hesitant to answer. Elyon furrowed her brow. She'd seen it somewhere before. Before she could identify it, Elias raised his hand.

"It's a fae symbol," he answered. "It's meant to help with cloaking spells."

"Very good, Elias. Do you know its other power?"

"... I don't... I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. You answered my question and then some." She gave him a reassuring smile before turning to the rest of the class. "Can anyone answer for me?"

* * *

 _Wandering through the office, little Elyon curiously peeked at the differed books and papers on the table. She could hear her mother and her friend chatting in the room next door. She bit her lip. The little girl knew she wasn't supposed to go in the office, but there were big secrets hidden there.  
She quietly crept behind the desk and pulled out one of the drawers. It was filled with more papers. After glancing around for a moment before she took out one of the papers._

 _"What's this?" she murmured._

 _She gazed at the symbol on the paper for a moment before she scanned for a title or label for the image._

 _"F-Fa? Fa... Fae? Faery?" Elyon looked at some of the notes on the side. "It... en-enha...nces... mis... mis..."_

* * *

"It enhances mischief magic," Elyon announced.

"Correct. Well done." The prefect gave her a short nod.

Elyon smiled as she sat back down.

 _I wonder what else was in that office? I never had another chance to look in there after that..._

As Elyon began taking notes again, she felt someone watching her. She lifted her head and was met with the glare of the girl who had been making fun of her earlier. She bit her lip and looked back down at her paper.  
There would definitely be trouble later.

...

* * *

...

"Ow!" Elyon's back slammed against the wall.

"Do you think you're tough now, or something?" the girl snarled, "Speaking up only when you have a prefect there to protect you? Damn coward!"

"I didn't kn-"

"Shut up! If I have to hear your annoying voice one more time, I'm _really_ gonna lose my shit. You act sweet and shy, but it's just a dumb act. You use it to get close to other wizards - ones that can actually cast spells properly - so that you can be babied! Gods you're annoying! Why did you even get an Acceptance Letter? Is it cause you're some strong wizardess' kid? Cause it can't be your casting skills. You're a coward and a weakling, and the fact that you're even here pisses me off. Never mind what you did to Joel Crawford."

Elyon bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut.

 _You're wrong. You're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong!_

"I'm right, aren't I? You won't say anything now that we're alone. Did you laugh when I screwed up earlier? Why should I bother asking? You won't say anything now that no one is here to save you. So why did you take your buddy's magic? Were you jealous?"

 _I should have just ignored her earlier. What's the point in saying anything if it only makes it all worse?_

Elyon tried to shut her out.

 _Please shut up. Just shut up. Shut up. Shut up! Shut up and leave me alone!_

"My dad knew your mom. He said she was one of the strongest wizardesses he knew. She disappeared mysteriously, though." The girl glared down at her. "How ashamed must she be that _you_ are all she has to continue her legacy? Maybe you should just disappear. Run away like your mom and don't show your face again!"

Elyon's eyes flew open. She glared up at the girl whose face faltered for just a moment.

"Oh, so you grew a spine when I insulted mommy dearest? I wonder if _you're_ responsible for her disappearance. Bad luck seems to follow you. Poor Joel, Poor Evelyn. How are you able to ruin both their lives like that?"

* * *

 _Evelyn Warvant was sitting at the table, her face buried in her hands. She had thought her daughter was asleep in her bed, but Elyon had secretly stayed up so she could sneak into the garden. The little girl watched her mother in silence._

 _"Why did I have to leave?" she whispered, "It would have been stressful, but I could have handled it. Gods, why didn't I st-!" The stairs creaked and the woman snapped her head up. "Elyon?"_

 _She got up and checked the staircase, but there was no one there. The woman brushed it off as the house settling, unaware of how her daughter was lying in bed ridden with guilt._

* * *

Something inside Elyon snapped.

"Shut up!" She shoved the girl away from her.

"Ow!" She fell to the ground.

She jumped to her feet and drew her wand. Elyon pulled her own wand and readied it.

"That hurt, you brat! Damn it, you're gonna regret doing that!"

"Would you just shut your mouth?! All you do is spit insults! Is that the only thing that can make you happy?!" Elyon snarled back. "I'm sick of it! Blamed when I was little, blamed when I'm here! Why can't you people just leave me alone!"

" **O sacred light, become a piercing arrow! 'Sagitta Lumen'!** "

An arrow of light shot through the air directly towards Elyon.

" **O wind, form a wall and become a shield! 'Scutum Ventos'!** "

Nothing happened. Elyon went pale.

" **Scutum Ventos!** "

A small whirlwind formed, but it was too weak to stop the arrow. Elyon felt its point rip through her skin. She was too shocked to say a word and dropped to the ground.  
The girl drew back. A look of fear fell over her face.

"Y-You idiot! It's your fault! You should have cast the spell better!"

Elyon shifted her gaze from the arrow to the girl. She glared at her.

" **D** **at vocem rat!** "


	16. Hurt Feelings and Impending Danger

Elyon wanted to cry. The magic arrow had stuck into her side just above her hip. She only held back because she knew if she relaxed enough to allow a single tear to drop, she would start screaming from the pain. The arrowhead was sending out subtle waves of magic that were disrupting her own body's magic causing it to react strangely. She bit her tongue and tried to ignore the pain.

At some point the girl had run off and left Elyon there on her own. Eress had flown out of her bag and quickly left to find help.

Elyon took in a few shaky breaths. The magic from the arrow was making the flow of her magic move in ways it was not supposed to. She couldn't tell if it was the pain or the disruption of her magic that was making her feel so sick.  
She had tried to climb to her feet before, but she had blacked out for a moment and slumped back down on the ground.  
The girl was still going in and out of consciousness, and she was starting to feel scared. It felt wrong. Something felt wrong, but she couldn't understand why or what.

She closed her eyes and tried to distance herself from the pain.

 _I'm not here._

She took in a deep breath.

 _This doesn't hurt._

She released the breath.

 _I am not here._

A sudden noise made the girl open her eyes. She looked around and found herself back in the hallway full of doors.

"Stand up, Elyon," a feminine voice ordered.

The girl shakily climbed to her feet. She realized the pain was gone. She traced her hand over the blue fabric that covered where the arrow had once been. She lifted her head and looked around.

"Who are you?" she asked, "You're not the woman who chased me before... right?"

"That _woman_ , as you call her, was a trespasser. I wish you no harm."

"I thought so... You sounded different from her, but I wanted to check..."

"Elyon, it seems you are not as safe as you once were. One of the seals has been broken, and I fear the trespasser will be able to find you more easily. You don't have much time to unravel the mysteries that surround you."

"Wait, what?" Elyon drew back. "What seals?! What do you mean the trespasser is _hunting_ me?! Why?! And what mysteries must I unravel? And who are you?"

The voice was silent for a moment. The girl was afraid she'd been abandoned.

"... Freja. My name is Freja. The one hunting you is dangerous, but the reason she pursues is not because of anything you've done. I'm afraid I cannot explain. I don't know everything, but I have brought you to my domain, the Hall of Memories. There are only a few who know the whole story. This hall contains the memories of your mother. You must piece together the story from what you know and what hides behind these doors. I've been able to lock doors that are irrelevant, but beyond that is up to you."

"What... What about my friends? Joel and Eress need help, too."

"Your paths have aligned for a reason. The answers you seek lie at the end of that path."

The air suddenly felt empty. Elyon was certain Freja had left. The girl rubbed her head and started walking down the hall.

 _My time is running out? Does that mean... is the person hunting me planning to... kill me?_

Elyon hugged herself as she made her way past the doors.

 _How do I know which one I need?_

She traced her hand over one of the doors. The wood of the door seemed to pulse with magical energy. There was something almost comfortable about the energy. The girl pulled her hand away and looked at the door. It was the same dull pink as her mother's locked journal. The girl carefully opened it and made her way through.

...

* * *

...

 _Elyon found herself standing in a classroom._

 _It had more instruments than it did seats, and Elyon realized it had to be the music room. She looked around and saw a young woman with brown was singing. Objects around her were floating._

 _"A spellsinger..." Elyon murmured._

 _When she could finally pull her gaze away, Elyon saw a younger version of her mother sitting by the window. She was writing something down in her journal. Elyon moved closer and saw the shine of a small metal object._

 _"That must be the key..."_

 _"Hey! I'm done with practice for today," the spellsinger suddenly announced._

 _"Sweet! I just need a quick second, Penny." Evelyn stood and locked the journal before tossing it in her bag._

 _When Penny started for the door, Elyon watched her mother quickly jump behind the piano sitting by the wall. By the time the spellsinger had turned around, Evelyn was already back on her feet with her bag slung over her shoulder. As the girl walked by, Elyon reached out. Evelyn walked through her hand and Elyon felt a pang in her heart.  
Just as her mother walked through the door with the older girl, the ground gave way beneath Elyon. She had no time to think before she fell into the darkness._

...

* * *

...

"Elyon, are you okay?" Klaus was holding her shoulders.

The girl blinked and tried to understand what was going on. A pair of amethyst eyes bore into hers. For moment, she was mesmerized.

"Elyon!" Joel shouted.

His voice snapped her out of her trance. She turned and saw Joel sitting next to her. He looked panicked and she could see sweat on his forehead.

 _Oh, Joel... He must have run here. I didn't want to cause him so much anxiety..._

She smiled at him.

"I'm alright."

He let out a sigh of relief before turning to Klaus.

"Um... thanks."

"Of course. As prefect, I'm supposed to watch out for all of the students." Klaus let go of her and stood up.

Elyon looked down and found that the magic arrow was gone, along with the pain. Joel helped her climb to her feet.

"Thank you, Klaus!"

The golden haired man paused to give her a polite nod before he continued walking. She watched him leave before turning to Joel. The girl drew back when she saw the infuriated look on his face.

"J-Joel?"

He looked like he was holding back as he took her hand and started walking. From his pocket, Elyon could Eress looking anxious. The girl gulped. Joel remained silent as they walked past the crowd of students, through the schoolyard, and down one of the stone paths. The air around them was painfully tense and Elon was growing more nervous with each silent moment that passed. When they finally arrived at their usual spot in the forest, the boy dropped her hand and stomped a few steps away. The faery flew away from him and ducked into Elyon's bag.

"I... might've mentioned the bullying..." she whispered.

"Oh..." Elyon cringed and looked up.

Joel was glaring at her now. The girl fidgeted. Her buddy had never been so silent in his angry. Elyon was unsure of whether she should say something or to let the boy speak on his own. The choice was soon made for her.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" he snapped, "Why didn't you say people were giving you such a hard time?!"

"Y-You were stressed out already. I didn't want to make it worse."

"Make it - You got shot! You got shot by a magic arrow! How do you - Gods, you were passed out by the time we got there! You were so pale, your lips had turned white! W-When Klaus removed the arrow and cast a healing spell, you didn't wake up and..." He buried his face in his hands for a moment before running them through his hair. "How is that better than just telling me? I'm here for you, Elyon. I want to protect you."

The girl furrowed her brow.

"I'm sorry you were so scared, but I can't be held responsible for her actions. Everything else I could handle, but she just snapped. I'm not so stupid as to keep silent if I'm being attacked by other students!"

"Just tell me when you're having trouble! I want to prote-!"

"I don't want to be protected!" Elyon snapped back. "I'm not some child that needs to be coddled! I can protect myself. I don't need to hide behind other people!"

"You could have fooled me with your level of magic! You couldn't even make a proper shield!"

Elyon froze at his insult. Joel drew back realizing he crossed a line.

"Elyon, I didn't mean that. I'm sor-"

"You are such a - such an ass!"

With that, the girl whirled around and stomped out of the forest. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she would never let him see that. She would only be further proving his point. What hurt most was how right he was. If she'd properly cast that shield, she would have been fine. If she'd stood up for herself earlier, the bullying might not have escalated like it did. Instead, she had just ducked her head and admitted defeat. The bullying had not slid off her back like water; they'd weathered her down like waves on stone. She had allowed that.  
But he didn't have to point it out. He didn't have to be so cruel about it.

Elyon kept walking, ignoring Eress's attempts to comfort her.

 _That wasn't fair! He wasn't being fair! I didn't want to burden him! I was trying to be considerate!_

She bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears.

 _I was scared, I was upset, I didn't want any of these problems! I thought things would get better!_

The girl could only make out blurry shapes as she quickly made her way down a path away from the school. She didn't want to be around other people.

 _I was so scared when my spell didn't work! It hurt so horribly! I didn't want to fight with her!_

Elyon eventually came to a stop. She buried her face in her hands and tried to hold down her sobs. She hated the tears welling up in her eyes. She hated the pain in her heart. She hated how much his words had hurt.

A sudden presence made her open her eyes. Leon was standing there, staring at her in confusion. They remained silent for a few moments.

And then the dam broke.

Maybe it was the boy's cold gaze, maybe it was the news that she was being hunted down, or maybe it was her buddy's cruel comment. It didn't matter. Elyon was sobbing and she couldn't stop. Leon tilted his head and just watched her for a bit. Eress flew out from her bag and hugged the girl's hand. She glared at the white haired boy.

"What's your problem? Why are just staring at her cry?!"

Elyon wanted to tell her friend to stop. She didn't want any more conflict. Unfortunately, Elyon still couldn't stop crying and so the faery continued.

"What should I do?" Leon looked at the faery.

"You ask her if she's okay, or what's wrong! You offer a handkerchief or a hug or a - Hey!"

Elyon had no time to process what was happening before she found herself wrapped up in a pair of arms. She looked up and found Leon staring at her.

"Does this... help?"

The girl started crying again. For the first time, a genuine emotion entered his red eyes. He looked almost sad. She stood and wept in the strange boy's awkward embrace.

After a while, Elyon was finally able to stop the tears from pouring from her eyes. She pulled away and looked up at the boy once more.

"I'm... sorry about that, Leon."

"Why?"

"It was improper of me to have used you as a shoulder to cry on." She wiped her eyes with her handkerchief.

"Why is it improper?"

"Here we go again," Eress grumbled.

"I..." Elyon sighed. "We still aren't familiar enough for that. I'm sorry, Leon. I'm going to head to my dorm. I'll see you another time."

"See you..."

The girl quickly walked off, heading straight to her room. When she got there, she laid down her bed with her face buried in her pillow.

"Elyon, are you okay?" Eress asked, sitting on the pillow next to her.

"... No..."

"I always knew that guy was a jerk, but I didn't think he'd go that far!" Eress growled. "I never should have gone to him for help! He can't even use magic! He wouldn't have helped anyway! And what's wrong with your classmates?! Are they all jerks?!"

Elyon sat and rubbed her eyes. Tears were welling up in them once again. Eress faltered and stared at the girl with a sympathetic gaze. The smiled.

"I think I'm gonna take a hot bath. Do you think you'll need anything while I'm in there?"

"N-No, I'll be fine. But-"

"Thank you, Eress."

"For what?" The faery stared at her.

"For always being on my side."

Without giving the faery a chance to respond, Elyon slipped into the bathroom.

...

* * *

...

Amelia was pissed.

She'd heard what happened to her young roommate, and she'd heard the rumors going around about her. Elyon, sweet shy Elyon, had not said a word about it. She hadn't complained or vented. She'd just silently taken it.

Amelia wouldn't accept that. The girl was too kind.  
With a tray full of sandwiches, sweets and drinks, she headed straight into their room.

"Oh, hello, Amelia!" The girl sweetly greeted her.

"Hey, Elyon! I brought dinner and dessert!"

"Thank you!"

The pair sat down on her bed and started eating. Amelia talked about her day, but just as she was about to question her roommate, the girl spoke up.

"You must have heard what people are saying about me."

"I-I have." The older girl nodded, taken aback. "I'm doing what I can to get them to shut up, though. I know they're wrong, Elyon. Plenty of other people do, too."

Elyon smiled.

"Thank you. It's reassuring to know that people have my back." Her expression soon turned sad. "... But these rumors caused Joel and I to fight..."

"What? What did you guys fight about?"

The younger girl shifted uncomfortably before answering.

"... He was mad that I didn't tell him about the situation. He said he wanted to protect me. I... got annoyed and said I didn't want to be protected - that I didn't need to be protected, and... he pointed out how... bad I am at magic..."

Amelia drew back.

"He what?!"

The older girl's anger was renewed. That was a low blow on his part. What made it even more shocking was how much Amelia knew Joel cared for Elyon. She would have thought the boy would have been more considerate. Amelia could only imagine how much it had hurt the younger girl's feelings.

"He... was right though. I couldn't even make a proper shield to protect myself. I... I'm a coward and a weakling..."

"Ely-"

"But I want to change that!" Elyon looked up at her with a determined gaze. "I want to be braver and I want to be stronger. And so... I have a request."

* * *

 **I hope all the events in this chapter don't feel smashed together...**

 **Thanks for reading and p** **lease leave reviews and critiques!**

 **Have a nice day/night!**


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